Piano Man
by Byousoku Isshun
Summary: A story of love between a pianist whose hands had been blessed with an amazing sound by a heavy heart and an artist whose life is shattered in pieces. ITS SURPRISING CONCLUSION!
1. Someday Soon

**Chapter 1: Someday Soon**

Summary: _Roxas was an outcast. He made it that way, and he never complained about it. He hid his own secrets only so that one person could find it, his reason for playing, and his heart. Roxas X Namin_é

**Disclaimer**:I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters.

* * *

_Who are you? _

A girl with soft blonde hair and blue eyes stared back at me with a gentle smile gracing her lips. "C'mon Roxas!" She yelled from across a white room. She ran ahead of me, putting more of the vast whiteness between us. I reached out to her in a desperate cry.

"Who are you? Who are you to me?!" I exclaimed tripping over myself and crashing onto the floor. The girl disappeared into white and darkness finally surrounded me. I slammed the last sliver of white on the ground and watched it turn into darkness. However as I sat in the darkness, I felt something warm grasp my hand and pull me out of the darkness.

Somehow I ended up in another white room decorated with furniture and artwork. Those pictures looked like memories of the person who'd owned the room, somebody probably young too. After all they weren't that good. I watched as a younger version of myself stepped inside the room followed by that girl. She smiled at me and waved goodbye before closing the room.

I clenched my fists. I was going to find out who she was no matter what! I ran tried to open the door and saw my hand pass through it.

Had I died?

Personally I didn't think so. I could still remember what felt like a week ago when I went to school and had lunch with my friends. I figured I could walk through the door and slowly passed through it and saw a man in a red suit beside somebody wearing an overcoat and mask.

"But I like him Daddy." She said in what appeared to be in my defense.

"No further outbursts!" Her father yelled, grabbing her from behind and beginning to drag her to the door. By then I had heard them and the younger me ran out of the room and skidded to halt at the scene.

My face had shown that I was heartbroken. "Wait!" The man in the overcoat stopped me, slipping his hands under my outreached arms. The girl fought from her father's grip. She pulled his hand from her face and attempted to hide her obvious sadness.

"Roxas! We will meet again. And then we can talk about everything." She smiled at him as widely as she could, hoping that would make up for her sudden departure. My younger self dropped his arms and stopped all motion. "Someday soon, I promise!" She yelled out before exiting her house.

Both my younger version and myself fell to the ground and watched as the man in the overcoat followed the two of them. I felt something in that huge house, loneliness.

* * *

"Hey Roxas, still practicing?" Hayner, Roxas' closest friend asked. The young pianist turned around and smiled at his roommate. He stood up from his stool, collected his music, and locked the piano. "You don't have to stop because of me."

Roxas shrugged. "I was already finished." He told his roommate nonchalantly before walking ahead of him. The other blonde frowned, Roxas was still not happy. Despite being the best pianist at a school all about the arts, despite being one of the most popular boys at the Academy, despite getting a solo even he wanted, he was still not happy.

Hayner had known the boy since he was a child. He liked Roxas a lot more back then too. Roxas had smiled a lot more and seemed to act so immature, forgetting the simplest things like a gift before going to a birthday party. "Hey wait up!" Hayner called out, trying to reach him.

He knew Roxas was avoiding him for a reason. Even being one of the most popular boys in the school he also was the one most outcasted. Usually it was the other way around but something just went wrong with that. Often times when people talked to Roxas they wanted to gain something from talking to him.

Roxas was just as good at sports as Sora, the captain of the blitzball team, or Riku, the captain of the track team. He was on the blitzball team and people talked to him so they could play or get to go on a date with Sora. So just to stop all of this, he distanced himself from the popular crowd.

It worked.

People stopped asking him for things. People didn't even want to talk to him at all and now, Hayner barely knew anything about this new person. This new 'Roxas' that was talented and serious, he knew nothing about.

He hardly ever saw him either. Roxas usual left early in the morning to practice and wouldn't return until late at night when Hayner was already asleep. Plus, he didn't have any classes with him. It was rare to see him. He was just surprised he caught him in that piano room. Usually he kept moving around, and somehow he always got permission.

"I'll see you later then." Hayner said to an empty hallway when Roxas had disappeared. When he felt somebody touch his shoulder he turned around and saw his girlfriend, Olette. "Hey." He said unenthusiastically. Olette put her hands on her hips and glared at him. Hayner understood and smiled slightly, "Hey, Olette."

Hayner walked with Olette to the school's café and joined their other friends, Pence, Selphie, Riku, Sora, and Kairi. "Hey guys!" Olette said as she gave Selphie and Kairi hugs before sitting down next to Hayner. "Guess what Hayner told me!" She said to start off the conversation.

"Oh what?" Selphie and Kairi asked. Sora laughed at their enthusiasm with Riku while Pence remained quiet.

"I saw Roxas." Hayner stated solemnly. Sora, Riku, and Pence were surprised. Neither of them had seen the teen at all, not even Sora who had placed the pianist on his blitzball team. Most of the meetings hadn't been mandatory, but he would expect someone so serious to attend all of the meetings.

Kairi and Selphie tried to smile. "Really? Is he good?" They asked to brighten up the situation.

Hayner shrugged. "He seemed well, but I was listening from outside and his playing seemed so—off. It was just so uncoordinated, I'm starting to think he's getting sick."

Everybody listened quietly, but gaped when they saw a certain spiky haired blonde entering the café, soaking wet and bruised up. They rushed to his aid and Sora held his cousin up and into a seat.

"Think we should take him to the hospital?" Sora asked Riku. The platinum haired boy shook his head. "But he's bleeding!" He yelled back.

"Roxas is probably in a gang and got beat up. Just leave him be." Roxas, who had been awake the entire time, moved his bruised arm to the nearest full drink and splashed it on Riku.

He grimaced in pain as he slowly opened his eyes. "I'm not in a gang. Why should people blame me just because I don't want to be used?!" He said in a strong voice shifting his body and rising up from the chair.

Roxas clutched his side to hide the obvious bleeding and tried to smile at his concerned old friends. "I'm an outcast remember? At least Riku knows, always the smart one." He said trying to find his old smile again.

* * *

The young pianist went back to his new dorm. There was a reason why Hayner had never seen him. He had asked to move because he needed a large room so he could play his own piano. He had used 'needing to practice' as his excuse and it creditable for someone who practiced as often as he did.

He took out his key and fumbled with it as he attempted to slip it into the keyhole. "C'mon!" He yelled as he slammed it in and turned the knob. He sighed before tossing his book bag to a nearby desk and taking off his soaked coat.

Roxas slipped into a white t-shirt and plaid pants before finally dropping on his bed. His old clothes had been stained with his blood and just a little of those who actually fought with him.

"I wonder where I went wrong?" He asked himself. He felt the back of his cool hand on his steaming forehead and grimaced at the pain it took just to move his arm. "Why does it hurt so much?"

When he heard the familiar melody of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 reached his ears, Roxas picked up his cell phone and slowly put it at his ear. "Hello?" When he heard a familiar voice on the phone his eyes jerked open. "Mother?!"

"Hi, Roxas-sweetie! How are you, we're coming to Japan tomorrow so be sure to look nice when you pick us up." His mother told him.

Roxas gulped. He could never hide this many bruises or tell his parents what he had been enduring. He would never let anybody know why he became and outcast; why he began to distance himself from the people that might understand.

"Can't you just have somebody pick you up? I'm going to be with the orchestra." He lied.

"But Roxas-darling!"

"Gomenasai, I'm sorry but I'll be busy, Mother." Roxas insisted.

"Oh, fine. Well at least speak with your father and apologize." His mother told him. The teen shrugged as he waited for his father to be on the line next.

When he heard his father's baritone voice he smiled to himself. It had been a long time since he had talked to him. "Hello, Roxas."

His face became serious. "Hello Father." Unlike his mother, his father had always paid close attention to Roxas. Probably because he was needed for success, that every time he spoke it would need to be emotionless to not be analyzed. "I pray you're doing well."

"Well thank you Roxas. But no need for formalities, how've you been?"

"Well," was his short answer. "I also apologize for not being able to greet you. Please pardon me for now."

He could sense his father's smug smirk. "Of course, Roxas. You're old enough to go on your own, so please do your best. Your mother and I have to leave so hopefully we'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright, Father. You and Mother have a good night." Roxas pushed the end button and looked at his screen. It was a photo from an album he saw. He was playing a recital and he was smiling. He was glowing magnificently and there was nobody in the world that could deny it.

Roxas smiled and tossed his phone onto his nightstand.

* * *

_I'd rather not dream at all forever, as long as I don't have to think of you…_

I stood in front of the piano dressed in my concert attire. When I looked out, I saw a full audience all-waiting to hear me. Almost as if it was automatic I took a seat and my hands were lightly placed on its ivory keys.

The sound of _Spring_ began to emit from the piano. I could feel the rhythm flowing through my body, almost as if it was clutching my arms forcing it to play.

When I was almost finished something felt wrong about it. It didn't make sense; why did the music sound so…_wrong_? The score was perfect, my playing was precise but I couldn't even reach that pinnacle of the music.

I banged on the keys as if I couldn't help it. The audience gasped at my actions. I shut my eyes tightly and attempted to leave but found I couldn't when I felt a warm hand grasp mine. I slowly opened my eyes and saw that same blonde girl from before.

My head turned to an empty audience and it was just both of us on the large stage. She pushed my hand down and a single clear C came out. I looked at the single finger placed on the key and then behind me. However, nobody stood there except empty air.

The audience hall turned to darkness except for a single seat filled for that girl. Her blonde hair framed her face and some were pulled behind her ear. "Play for me, Roxas!" She yelled from her seats. I looked at her and nodded.

Finally when I played I could feel the music's desire. What the composer wanted to obtain when writing this. The music, the rhythm, the beat, I was so captivated by it all. I could finally remember where I went wrong.

The minute I felt loneliness, I had become tainted with its taste. Almost as if had grabbed my body and locked me up in a cage, I could never get used to being surrounded by people after that.

"Thank you, Roxas." She said to me when I finished playing. I wanted to reach out and ask her so many questions only to see her disappear again.

"Wait!" I shouted.

* * *

Roxas jerked up wide-awake. His breathing was shallow; he felt frozen with his arm outreached like that. "What just happened?" He asked himself in a whisper. Roxas wiped the beady sweat off his face and splashed cold water.

He took a shower and quickly got changed into a white polo and his usual black coat. He heard the doorbell ring as he was brushing his teeth and saw his seniors, Axel, Leon, and Cloud along with Aeris and Tifa. "Hey Roxie!" yelled a girl from behind them. Yuffie stepped in front of the seniors and made a victory sign. "Found you!"

Roxas grudgingly let the senior group (and a junior) into his flat. "Wow, Roxas. You have it made here!" Axel said in astonishment. The sophomore stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

"I have to participate in the orchestra. Plus, I pay for this. It's not a dorm room."

Axel nodded and took a seat on the couch along with the group while Roxas sat across from them. "Roxas, we heard from your friends you got beat up. Is that true?" Leon asked. Roxas lowered his head and his gaze was at the floor. Yuffie stared at him intently; this was Roxas?

"Leon! Don't be so harsh. Let's just go." Yuffie interjected. Roxas lifted his head. "That's okay if you don't tell us Roxas. We just wanted to know."

"I did. They were from another school. They told me I didn't deserve what I have now." Roxas laughed at himself. _It was intoxicating._ _This feeling that had a hold of his body, he never wanted to let go._ A fake smile appeared on his face, "I'll be fine." He stood up and excused himself.

Yuffie wanted to stop him but was stopped by Axel. "Let him go. He needs to find that person, the reason why he shouldn't give up. We can't help him right now. We just need to have faith in him." The redhead told her.

The high school junior nodded. She had faith in the boy ever since he was a child, but what she didn't know was whether or not that reason for him was out there. As they left, Yuffie was the only to spot a photograph placed on the desk. It was of Roxas in concert attire holding the trophy standing next to the photo. Roxas was still a child, lovingly standing beside his parents. But it wasn't the ones she recognized.

Then, who were they?

Roxas waited in the piano room staring at the black and white keys before finally leaving his home. He tossed his briefcase over his shoulder and stared into the sky. His parents were coming today. He couldn't face them even if he did look fine.

The pianist sat down at the stool and began to play Beethoven's Symphony No. 3. He liked No. 7 better; it was the first song he learned how to play. He continued to play catching the ears of a new student, an artist.


	2. A Broken Melody

**Chapter 2: A Broken Melody**

Summary: _Roxas was an outcast. He made it that way, and he never complained about it. He hid his own secrets only so that one person could find it, his reason for playing, and his heart. Roxas X Namin_é

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters. 

Naminé Hiroshi had just moved from her old home in Destiny Islands. Her parents were rich company owners and when her older brother, Tamaki, began college in Twilight Town their parents immediately moved there to keep in touch with him.

She knew Tamaki had always been first in line for the company but if you didn't look closely to what he wore you would've never thought that he was the heir to a multi-million dollar company.

The day she arrived was several weeks before her parents would join them. Naminé ran to hug her brother at the airport and smiled at his warm embrace. Her brother, Tamaki, had a streak for disobeying their parents' rules when it concerned business. He hated formal business functions and always stayed with her at the manor.

"Hey Naminé, let's go watch a movie. My treat." He added holding up his already paid for tickets. Even though his black hair had grown long enough to hide his shining eyes, Naminé could tell he was happy.

The girl nodded and walked beside him to the waiting taxi. "Tamaki," she started when they had neared the taxi. She wanted to ask him how was college and whether or not if he was happy. If he wasn't happy then she would ask if he could move back to Destiny Islands.

Tamaki hadn't heard her and open the door to reveal a woman holding a baby. Her older brother looked at her for her reaction. Naminé didn't even dare to breathe. What had he done?

Their father had made it obvious he didn't approve of Tamaki moving to Twilight Town to study. He had already lost his trust when he had gone out with a commoner against his will and had failed to win first place in the violin competition. Their father knew the cause for his lost was because of the commoner girl Tamaki had been head-over-heels with.

She quietly turned around and began walking into the next taxi. Their butler, Shigure, watched at the young master's shattered expression. He knew he had been expecting a better turnout, he thought at least the young miss would understand.

"Naminé," Tamaki said grabbing his little sister's shoulders. "You can't do this to me. Can't you give me a chance?" He asked. When Naminé's head turned around he didn't think she would have a tearstained face.

The blonde girl jerked her body away from him and turned around, glaring. "You have no idea how many chances I've given you!" She yelled. When she yelled, she could remember what always happened at home. Her father had been right.

"Father knew you'd do this to us! So whenever you did something wrong, I was forced to pay it with my sweat and work harder than you ever had to! You never listened at what he told you were the consequences. You never thought about it at all. Tamaki, you're just being selfish!"

Tamaki felt a pang in his heart. "Naminé, I—" But by then the girl had stepped into the car and would be taken to their new manor.

"Welcome home, Madame." Shigure greeted her. Naminé smiled weakly at their head servant and watched as he went to the trunk to get her belongings. Immediately she wanted to stop him. Shigure was too old to be carrying things so heavy.

Naminé took the bag out of his hands and smiled. "Shigure, can you call the new servant? I heard from Father he got another one. Maybe she can—"

"It's a sir, Madame." Shigure interjected before leaving. Naminé blushed and nodded. The old man smiled slightly; it was good to have the young miss back home. The servant went to fetch their new worker. He was a student trying to make a living for him and his girlfriend, his passion is what made him want to hire him.

Hayner was hired as a servant to a rich company owner's manor. It had good pay and even if he only worked part-time it would still give him enough money to take Olette on good dates. She would just have to be patient until he got paid.

The head servant, Shigure, entered the room he was cleaning and motioned him to go outside. "Greet the Madame. She just arrived from Destiny Islands and a new friend might help her after her day." He told him before he walked away from the teen.

The servant made his way to the vast front yard and saw a beautiful girl sitting on a large luggage. She jumped when she saw him. "Hi! I'm Naminé, you don't mind helping me out?" She said. Hayner shook his head as if it was obvious and helped carry one of the larger bags.

"What school are you going to?" He asked when they brought the last of the suitcases to Naminé's room. The girl got into a thinking position to remember and put one finger up as if to show she recalled the name.

"Twilight Academy of the Arts," She answered. Hayner jerked up from his lying position on his master's bed. That was the same school as him! This was bad, very bad. He couldn't let anybody know he was a servant!

"Really? Me too. What department?" He asked calmly, though he was nervous on the inside.

"Art. My parents say I'm really talented and I've won lots of awards too!"

Hayner almost let out a sigh of relief. No one would know now. "That's cool. Hey, tomorrow you should come and join us. I have to get to work now, so I'll see you later." Naminé waved goodbye as her new friend left her room.

Her phone rang and when she saw who it was, it made her angry enough to try to throw the phone at the wall. Her brother was calling her, as if he had the right to even talk to her! Despite her better judgment she placed the phone to her ear. "Naminé," She heard on the other end.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry. It's already happened and it's not like we can change it!"

Naminé wanted to break down in tears and chuck the phone at the wall. She didn't though. She remained cool and collected only asking a single question. "If you could change what you've done, would you?"

There was a long pause and his answer seemed to shatter her heart.

"No."

The young artist hung up the phone and tossed it on her bedside table. And she fell on her bed crying herself to sleep.

* * *

_Why did everything turn out like this?_

I felt everything turn dark. My world was surrounded in black. That was when I saw a figure dressed in all white smiling at me. He walked over, his white shoes leaving his own bright imprints on the dark floor. His blue orbs gazed at my fallen position.

"Are you alright?" He asked me. The boy knelt down beside and stroked my blonde hair lovingly. Even though I didn't know whom this person was, the feeling that left his hands and into my body when he caressed my tear-streaked face seemed so natural, as if he'd done it hundreds of times.

I looked up at him. "Remember me?" He asked, his face slightly more serious. Sadly, I shook my head.

The blonde haired teen just gazed into my eyes and kissed the top of my head. "I don't mind." He told me. Slowly he got up from his kneeling position and stretched an outreached hand. He cocked his head to his side and smiled encouragingly.

Somehow the dark scenery changed and a bench was placed in park surroundings. A large white fountain stood in front of it, the waters still and clear. The boy stood in front of the fountain and knelt down to gaze at the frozen water.

"Look at yourself," He instructed.

I walked over and looked into the water. While his reflection was solid with no movements, mine had ripples moving my reflected self. He stared into my reflection. I watched his actions as he touched my reflection, causing it to stop all motion.

He grinned at me. "You're fine now."

My tears wanted to flow from my eyes. Almost as if he knew what had happened earlier he grabbed my shoulders and gently placed me on his chest. "You'll be fine." He muttered through my hair.

"How do you know?" I choked out, the tears finally falling from my eyes. He parted enough from me to lift my chin to look at him and smiled warmly. I didn't know what to feel but my heart settled on contentment.

His calm face was marred by the sadness in his eyes when he looked at me. "I want you to know that, no matter what you have to persevere. You have to grow up and understand your family's feelings. I know your brother's won't change."

I pushed him away, furious at what he had just said. My eyes were flashing red. "Are you siding with him?!"

The boy's face had remained steady. He didn't even flinch. "Just like before, we've had this fight once." He told her calmly. "But I'll tell you again. Grow up, Naminé!"

I felt myself break after that. "I don't want you to get any more hurt than you already have. So please, listen to me. Live and accept the bad parts of lives so you don't always remain so sheltered from the real world!" He continued.

He was right, and even I knew it. "I know. I know. So please don't yell at me!" The boy's lips remained tight. He embraced me in his arms again and smiled at me gently. "I'm sorry." I said softly.

The smile on his lips went ahead and told me I was forgiven.

_Who are you?_

* * *

_**Beep! Beep!**_

Naminé slammed her hand down on her alarm and grudgingly got up. Despite just arriving at Twilight Town, she knew her brother's personality and he would personally hunt her down to try to talk to her.

Her heart decided on going to school and she called Shigure for her knew uniform, which consisted of a blue plaid skirt and white polo with an optional tie. She changed into it and combed her blonde locks before leaving the manor.

"Have a nice day, Madame." Shigure said before closing the black car's door. Naminé smiled and waved goodbye before the car headed to her new school.

When they'd arrived at the school, Naminé was shocked at its size. Her chauffer handed her a map of the school and it had three main buildings with several dorms and smaller structures. She looked into the main building to find no one there but heard the soft sound of a piano drifting through the halls.

Quickly, she pulled out the map and saw it was in the direction of the art room. She began to follow the melody. She ran as the music became softer to not lose sight of the person playing. When she finally reached a door, she burst it open revealing a very exhausted Naminé to a spiky haired pianist.

The pianist cocked an eyebrow. "No joke?" He asked. The teen slowly stood up from the stool and slipped his white gloves off. He shut the keys away from her sight and stared at her. Naminé looked down at the floor in embarrassment.

"Um, n-no it isn't." She stuttered. The student smiled at her slightly and he watched as her face turned into surprise. Honestly, he was surprised at himself as well. He hardly ever smiled and he shouldn't even dare to on the day of his parent's arrival to Twilight Town.

Naminé smiled back shyly. "This isn't the art room, is it?"

He laughed. "You're right."

"Then where am I?" Naminé asked. She began to relax around the pianist's presence. In reality, she already had. His facial structure seemed so familiar to that of the boy in her dream. Now she knew she could trust him at least.

Before he answered someone else burst through the door. Someone even more exhausted-looking appeared turning towards her. The teen stared intently at the intruder. "Why are you here?" He asked in a voice calm but intimidating.

"I'm her brother. I need to speak with Naminé." Tamaki said in the same tone. Naminé looked at the pianist's expression. It clearly showed fury and anger but why? He didn't know her, he probably just found out her name and she still didn't know his.

"I'm Roxas. I'd appreciate it if you leave. It seems she doesn't want to talk to you." He said motioning Naminé to move behind him. When Tamaki didn't move Roxas closed his eyes to calm himself down. "Please leave."

Tamaki did not move. "I'm her brother! I have the right to talk to my little sister. Do you remember who took care of you while our parents were out?" He asked Naminé. Roxas could feel her tremble slightly and felt small droplets hit his shirt.

"What brother makes her sister cry?!"

The college student couldn't take this from a high schooler. He ran forward, fists tightly clenched and thrust it into the pianist's face. Roxas crashed onto the floor and steadily got up. His gaze was focused on the ground and his hands were set into fists. Naminé watched as Roxas fought for her sake, not even hesitating to think it was for a stranger he hardly knew.

The blonde teen ran forward and attempted to punch Tamaki in the stomach only to be done one better and a several quick jabs to the teen's face. Roxas winced as more injuries were inflicted on him and he seemed to be losing consciousness every hit.

"Tamaki, stop! Please stop!" Naminé shouted finally stepping in. Roxas was on the floor and was building up a puddle of blood from his wounds. She quickly grabbed the pianist's cell phone and called for help, while her brother Tamaki stared at his bloody hands finally realizing what he had just done.

A few minutes later an ambulance arrived and took Tamaki for questioning while Roxas and Naminé rode in the back. They had told her he would be fine and would need to stay at the hospital for a day to ensure his full recovery so they didn't need to ride with them.

Naminé stared at the sleeping figure and was surprised when she saw his blue orbs visible and his lips turned in an upward smile. "I'm assuming I didn't win. I couldn't even save you." He said coughing slightly.

The artist began to cry knowing he had risked his life to save her, the person who had brought him into this. Roxas frowned at her actions. He was fine, she was fine, so she should be smiling. "Naminé, I'll be alright. So don't cry."

Now this just made her cry even harder. Roxas just lay there looking at her tear-stained face until she had stopped crying and they had arrived. When he had been examined there was a long list of medical injuries: three broken ribs (needed compression wraps and painkillers), loss of blood (one needed blood transfusion), a broken ankle (needed a cast), and many, many stitches.

When the nurse entered the room to tell Roxas he could leave, she was surprised to see her best friend's son. Roxas winced at the scolding he'd be receiving later. "Yuna-san," He said addressing her formally in Japanese. Naminé looked at his expression and it was one of fear.

"Roxas-kun, what have you gotten into?" Yuna asked.

The young pianist looked away and set his gaze on the blonde girl sitting against the wall. "I'm just being myself!" He replied confidently, his eyes reborn. "Plus, I'm fine now. I can continue playing the piano and live happily so please don't worry about me or make Tidus-san worry either."

Naminé could tell those words were meant with good intent, but complete lies. Yuna accepted it and had warned Roxas to stay out of trouble. But she didn't absorb his words. Why could she tell when nobody else could?

"Excuse me, Miss? Could you wait in the lobby for a second while Roxas fills out his forms?" Naminé nodded and left the room. When she left Yuna sighed deeply. "I know you were lying, Roxas. What are you planning to do about your parents now?"

Roxas thought for a second. "My father won't approve. I'm trying so hard to be perfect, but whenever I look at my friends I'm just acting like a jerk." Yuna nodded. She knew Roxas had been brought up harshly, only because he had previously been an orphan. He'd been an orphan with normal friends, with parents from normal families. He never wanted any of them to get hurt and had broken ties with them. He'd seen what would happen if his father saw him playing with commoners.

It had happened once before just a few days after he had been adopted. His best friend, had suffered the results a beating by both of their fathers and it was all his fault.


	3. Incomplete Perfection

**Chapter 3: Incomplete Perfection**

Summary: _Roxas was an outcast. He made it that way, and he never complained about it. He hid his own secrets only so that one person could find it, his reason for playing, and his heart. Roxas X Namin_é

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters.

Naminé waited down at the lobby alone. When she saw a familiar blonde teen wrapped in bandages, she ran to greet him and apologize repeatedly. That was the first time she ever got a good look at what Roxas was wearing. His clothes were bloodstained but most of the dark color had been hidden away from others' eyes by a long white coat with their school emblem.

"I'm really sorry. You shouldn't have been involved. I'm so sorry…" Her voice began to trail off with sadness. The teen's blue-eyes observed her emotions. Roxas put a hand on the blonde's hair and pulled her head back so her eyes would be looking directly into his own.

Roxas did not say anything however. They stood there for a moment until Roxas took his hand off her soft blonde hair and hobbled over to the exit. Naminé ran after him. She owed him at least this.

When they were outside, Naminé ran ahead of him and stopped him from continuing. "Please allow me to give you a ride back to school, or your house, or wherever!" Roxas sighed deeply and nodded.

"Let's go. It's Friday so classes should start at 10:00 today." The pianist told her. Naminé wondered why classes would start so late in the day but she wondered why he would rather go to school than back home and rest, even more. The artist led him to a black car parked at the front of the hospital. Shigure waved from his seat at the young Madame and was surprised to see a beaten down man walking beside her.

Roxas sat in the back and despite his persistence Naminé sat with him. "Thank you for protecting the Madame." Shigure had told the teen when Naminé had fallen asleep. They were currently still driving to the school. "You can tell from how tired she is, that her life has been hard on her lately."

The blonde pianist gazed at the sleeping figure across from him and smiled gently. "Yeah, she deserves a good rest." When they arrived at the school, Roxas bowed to Shigure and went ahead without waking Naminé. It might be best—if he never saw her again.

Shigure gave him ten minutes before he would wake up the Madame. The servant watched as the young man walked into the school building not even taking a single glance back at the person he had risked his life for. Shigure wondered about that man. His movements reminded him of a person in the Madame's past, but he could not remember who it was.

Finally after ten minutes had past, he shook Naminé gently so that she woke up. However she did not fail to notice that Roxas had left. But she could understand his reasons for wanting to leave so immediately, it was best not to get involved with her and he already got hurt. She was glad he was gone.

Shigure could still see his Madame's sadness. His senses were trained well after serving her for all of her life. He was about to help Naminé exit the car when he saw her already beginning to leave. Shigure bowed before driving off. He would do some research about that boy.

Naminé walked inside the school building and was greeted by a familiar face. "Naminé!" He shouted. Hayner waved over surrounded by a group of students wearing the school's blue, white, and black uniform. Naminé began to question why they had three different uniforms. She even questioned whether or not she was in the right school when she saw so many kids wearing black uniforms. Hayner could sense her confusion and laughed. "Don't worry, you're at the right school." He told her.

"So you don't know? I'm Olette, I'm Hayner's girlfriend." Said a girl with dark brown hair and green eyes. She pulled two other people wearing a white and navy uniform; she wore the school's black uniform. "'Kay, this school is divided into three main buildings. Those who wear a white uniform, like Hayner, go to the building on the west side. That's because he's part of the music department. He majors in piano. Drama's north of here, and Art is on the east side."

Hayner shook Naminé's hand. "A formal introduction," He told her. "And these are some of my other music majoring friends." A teen with spiky brown hair held out his hand.

"I'm Sora. I play the guitar and the flute." A girl with red hair smiled at Naminé.

Hayner hadn't noticed it and neither did anybody else until then, but Naminé looked almost exactly like Kairi. "I'm Kairi, I play my voice. Just kidding, I sing." Naminé smiled back at her, she knew she would get along with Kairi best. "You're wearing a navy uniform so you're an art student?"

Naminé nodded. "Hey me too, Naminé!" A rounded boy with black hair stepped forward. He wore a camera around his neck. "I'm Pence. I like to write and take photos!"

"I'm Naminé. I came from Destiny Islands and moved here because of my brother. He goes to college here." She tried to say her brother as normally as possible. Her voice trembled slightly but no one seemed to notice.

Hayner saw it was almost time for the bell to ring and began to swiftly introduce the drama students. "Drama wears black. Selphie, Riku, and Olette all are drama majors. You can get to know them better during lunch along with meeting our seniors." The bell rung and each headed to their own classes.

Following Olette's instructions, Naminé walked to the eastern building where a large crowd of students wearing navy uniforms walking in. She followed the crowd of people, only to crash into another student heading the opposite direction.

"Sorry!" Naminé apologized quickly, scurrying to pick up the person's fallen belongings. The person knelt down to pick up a fallen book and get a closer look at the face of the person who had crashed into him. "Here!" Naminé thrust the remaining books into the student's hands, not even daring to look at the face.

However, she was surprised to hear a deep chuckle with a kind, "Thank you." Finally, she looked up and saw bright red hair. "You must be new, nobody would be in such a rush." He told her, jokingly. Naminé pouted and folded her arms across her chest. She noticed his uniform was also navy, meaning he was also an art student but what class was behind her, seeing as the door to the outside was just there.

The teen grinned and patted her head. He laughed. "No need to be so uptight!" Naminé decided she could trust him and smiled back at him. "Well get to class." He began to walk away. Before he left the building, he turned around to the sophomore and smirked, "Name's Axel. Got it memorized?" He put his finger to his temple for emphasis and left the building.

When she found her classroom, she waited outside to be introduced. "We have a new student!" Cried out a female voice from inside.

"Please come in now!" The teacher called out. Naminé walked inside and heard 'ooh's and 'ah's from the crowd. She bowed deeply and smiled shyly.

Naminé took a deep breath. "Hi, I'm Naminé Hiroshi. It's nice to meet you all. Please watch over me during this year!" She finished with a bow and headed to the empty seat beside Pence.

They began a lecture about the history of art and each of them began to take notes. When the class was finished Naminé walked out and saw Pence heading to another classroom. "Ha, don't worry Naminé! We have lunch. I mean a two-hour lecture of the history of art should at least give us lunch right after."

Pence led her to the cafeteria. Their friends had been waiting for them and Kairi and Hayner held up their lunches. "You owe us!" They shouted. Naminé smiled. When had she been so happy? Sora and Selphie scooted over and they continued their lunch.

"Man! Mr. Loire worked us to the bone today!" Hayner exclaimed before he rested his head on the table. Sora nodded, it was hell in that room. Sixteen pages of notes to copy down and then a sight-reading lesson where they had to each play a nine-minute piece.

Hayner jerked forward when he felt something hard hit the back of his head. He spun around and saw the senior group and Yuffie. "Be thankful for your teacher Hayner and pay more attention in class." Yuffie said cheerfully, showing off her cello.

"I don't know why you carry that _thing_ around." He said. Out of nowhere he felt his head jerk forward again and a pain left. Axel stood behind him. "Sorry," Hayner muttered before turning to his food. Olette smiled apologetically and gave an embarrassed smile to her female companions. The three girls nodded with her before turning to face the group of older teens.

Axel smiled at the group. He was surprised to see the same girl who had crashed into him sitting there as well. "Well, well! Looks like you've made some friends." He told Naminé. Naminé smiled brightly at him. "I'll introduce you to the rest of us." He pointed to the cello player standing next to him. "Yuffie Kisaragi."

Yuffie waved at Naminé energetically. "I'm Yuffie, class 3-2, in the music department. I play the cello! Um, I'm a childhood friend with most of these kids here. Though one of them is missing. Where's he?" She stopped to say. Yuffie scanned the cafeteria and cried out happily when she saw a teen just enter the room.

His hair was flat across his face and his white shirt clung to his body. His blazer was wrapped around his waist and a towel around his neck. He looked as if he was sweating and his hair dripped water. His expression was not in a scowl but a simple aloof face.

The girls in the cafeteria all squealed. Naminé was just surprised someone so _cool_ could be alive. All of the guys scowled at the approaching student. Even their girlfriends were screaming over him! That was sad.

The teen's blue eyes searched for the table and he sighed before coming over. "Hey," greeted the figure. He pushed back his drenched hair from his eyes and took the towel from around his neck and began to dry his blonde hair. "What happened anyways, Roxas?" Hayner asked.

_Roxas?_ Naminé looked closely and saw it really was the same pianist she had met earlier. Roxas had noticed Naminé had been sitting with his friends. But he never made any motion to speak with her until Hayner decided the two should introduce themselves. "Hey! I'm not finished!" Axel yelled smacking the back of his hand against Hayner's head.

A tall blonde teen stood there wearing a worn out black scarf and goggles around his neck. He stood beside a black haired girl. "I'm Cloud, class 4-1, I major in music. I play the violin." He motioned to the girl standing next to him. She clung to his arm playfully and used her free arm to wave at Naminé.

"I'm Tifa Lockheart. I'm in class 4-1 for drama, though. Cloud's pretty happy about that, I know he hates having classes with his _girlfriend_." Tifa laughed at Cloud's scowl knowing it would tick him off even more. However she stopped and leaned gently against his chest to show their mature relationship.

Squall Leonheart smirked beside Aerith. They weren't a couple, but as-close-as-you-can-get friends. He regarded her as his sister just as much as Yuffie, and he watched her almost constantly. "I'm Leon, I'm a violinist in the same class as Cloud. Aerith is a drama major like Tifa. Those two are in the same class as well."

"Now Roxas, go ahead!" Sora pushed him forward, so that he hit the table. He glared back at Sora who responded with a grin. The blonde teen shrugged and pushed away his hair from his eyes. Naminé blushed; it was hard having someone who looked like him so close up. Sora had a smug grin. He looked a lot like Roxas, but there was no way he could deny his caring-nature for an aloof attitude.

After steadying himself, he smiled as if it was just them again. Naminé remembered how his laugh sounded, how his smiles would reflect his feelings, how he would also treat her so kindly, how he had protected her all then. It had been just that morning but he had so much of an impact on her life. When she saw how he acted in school it was amazing to know they were the same person.

The group was surprised to see him smile like that. Especially to someone he didn't even know! He leaned across the table and laughed softly in her ear, "We meet again." He stood up straight and introduced himself. "I'm Roxas Hikari, class 2-1 in the music department. I play the piano." He bowed deeply, something he had been taught to do his entire childhood. He turned to his side in the direction of the door to the courtyard. "I've already eaten, so if you'll excuse me." Naminé saw a small wave and watched as he exited the room.

Everybody stood there just looking at each other then Naminé. Finally the girls' scream broke the silence and they began to gossip. "How'd you do that Nami?" Yuffie asked. Nobody had been able to get Roxas to smile for years and yet she did without even doing anything. Roxas had treated her with his special kind of sincere kindness that was difficult to get him to show. It made him look like someone completely perfect.

"Um, I don't really know…"

"What! Then Roxas probably just likes blondes like him I guess." Selphie deducted, shrugging off the fact that her crush chose to like someone that wasn't her.

Naminé remained silent. Finally when she couldn't take the questions anymore, she stood up, packed her bag, and ran out of the cafeteria. Maybe she would get to see Roxas. Her wish was granted, however not in the way she expected. She saw Roxas standing straight in front of two adults wearing suits, she knew were made by expensive brands.

The woman looked at him worriedly, while the man wore a look of disgust. The man slapped Roxas across the face with a loud smack. Roxas' face turned from the impact and grimaced from the pain. Naminé watched this from behind a tree and remained silent until the couple had left.

The teen fell onto the soft grass and called out, "Come out. It's safe… Naminé." He whispered her name softly so only she could hear. Roxas saw a slightly startled figure approach him. She didn't say anything, however, instead handed him a box wrapped in a pink cloth. Roxas looked up at her face but fell back slightly when she sat down next to him and unwrapped the lunch.

"Is this why you chose solitude over your friends?" She asked gently, cautious of her words. Roxas looked at her sincere face. She was worried… about him. The teen made no motion at all, not even a breath escaping his body. What he did surprised Naminé. The pianist dropped her lunch beside him and embraced her.

Naminé could only remain there in shock, her head over the blonde's shoulder. "Please don't move. I'll smile for you again, just give me more time. So let me hold you like this." He whispered. Naminé only replied by holding him gently. Finally when the bell rung, Roxas let go. His hair was dry over his eyes but she could tell he was even worse off than before. He waved goodbye, with a smile like promised but one very sad. She turned away. She would never be able to bear that burden alone, but for that brief moment she felt as if the burden had been shared between them. That maybe, for both of them, there still was a chance to escape.

When school ended Naminé saw Axel just exiting the classroom with his belongings. "Hey Naminé!" He called out. She waved politely and walked over. "So, you know Roxas?" Naminé nodded. Axel looked reminiscent. "You were the first person in, I think, eight years he's ever really smiled to. Roxas can be a jerk but seeing him so beat up and still smiling makes me think that you're the key to Roxas. You can get him to talk to you. He's gentle and cautious with you. He's so kind and sincere when he sees you. We're jealous. Plus he seems to like you a lot." Naminé remained silent. She didn't know how to respond.

"His parents… who are they?" She asked. Axel noticed her voice was stronger, as if finding out was a need.

"Two rich business owners. His mother is okay, but his father is really critical of Roxas. He didn't approve of how he chose to pursue music instead of business. But why the sudden interest?" Axel asked his junior. Naminé smiled innocently and walked outside.

She found Shigure waiting in a black car for her. The old butler smiled warmly and got out to open the door. "How was your day?" He asked. Naminé just smiled, but he knew it was fake. Something was bothering her; he could tell after watching her grow up for so long. He had to speak about it. "Madame, what's troubling you? It's obvious to me." He asked while driving. The blonde girl looked up. "Is it that young pianist?" Naminé was surprised he knew. She nodded.

"I need to speak with you about him. After dinner will you please meet me in the piano room?"

---------------

Naminé didn't know what he was going to say. She quickly finished her dinner and homework and ran to the piano room. When her family visited this old home she always found this room locked. Now that it was opened she was stunned at the beauty of the room. It had marble tiles and the walls were white. The curtains had a lavender shade of white and bookshelves lined the walls. The piano was in the center and was a polished white. Shigure chuckled at the Madame's expression and had asked her to sit on the recliner in the corner.

"My apologies for disturbing your studies. This room was normally locked because your father was afraid you would 'turn against' him. You see, when you used to live here as a child, you had a friend that was a commoner. He was an orphan that you had seen standing outside the manor listening to your brother playing the piano. You invited him in and you befriended him but you were later punished. Then we moved again.

"I did more research and found out he had later been adopted by the Hikari family a few years later. Despite that, he continued to meet his old friends and rejected the ones his father had introduced to him. But something happened, I heard, during the time the time Mr. Hikari was making his final decision. People say Roxas changed after that." Shigure finished.

Naminé stood up from her chair and slowly walked out of the room. But really she wanted to cry.

She wanted to cry because she knew he hadn't been able to.

She wanted to cry because she couldn't even remember him at all.

She wanted to cry because she wasn't able to help him at all.

Right then as she slumped against her walls, her tear-streaked face still crying, a message started playing. That calm, steady voice was his playing. "Don't cry, Naminé. I'm not worth it. Just remember, that you've already fulfilled your promise. You came back." _Beep_

Naminé couldn't sleep well that night.

The next morning Naminé arrived at school to see that Roxas was not there. When she asked Yuffie about it during lunch she said, "Well, when his parents are over he usually takes two weeks off to spend time with them. I don't think Roxas personally likes it but he knows his duty as a Hikari son. But then again he could be spending time with Kouichi." That day she wondered who was Kouichi.

Like Yuffie said, Roxas was gone for two straight weeks but during the afternoon she had spotted him in the office picking up his homework. She had just finished an art club meeting and found out there would be an exhibition. So she would need to put something together for it. He spotted her as he exited the office. "Hey Naminé!" He called out trying to catch up with her. He seemed to be in good spirits.

Naminé smiled. "Hey Roxas. Where are you headed?"

"Nowhere in particular. I just got back from a competition. My parents came to watch and wanted to spend some time with me, but luckily I escaped. I also went to visit a friend. Hey, do you want to meet him? He doesn't live far from here."

"No, it's fine. Maybe later? Actually I was hoping I could talk to you about some things." Roxas put a straight face and nodded solemnly. They walked to a nearby café where Kairi had shown her. Their group had eaten there once, and Roxas could still remember the last time he was here. He'd been badly beat up by kids from another school and had come here in search of shelter and help. Sora had tried his best despite it not helping.

The two of them sat down in silence. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything. I want to know everything about you."

Roxas laughed. "Shigure-san told you. But why would you be so curious?" Naminé didn't respond. Roxas sighed and continued. "My life was different before. When I was five I had met Sora, Hayner, Pence, Olette, Kairi, Riku, Selphie, Yuffie, Leon, Cloud, and everyone else. They were very kind to me as an orphan. Sora and I had been dubbed cousins because of our appearance. He wanted to help me. But even so, I could only see my friends when everyone at the orphanage went." Roxas stared out the window of the cafe. He remembered something he was once told.

_"But that's the beauty of it. You meet new people everyday. And almost every time it's destiny."_

_We were only seven. I was standing outside of the gates and was frozen by the music I heard. It was so beautiful and it reminded me of Nii-san. _

_I lived in an orphanage and there was a boy in his third year of high school. His parents had died and he had nowhere to go. His name was Kouichi Aizawa and he taught me so many things. He was an amazing pianist and taught me how to play. He helped me whenever I needed it and was always willing to teach me new things. A year later, he got adopted. But he never forgot about me. Nii-san would visit me after school and on weekends with his new dad who was also a piano teacher. Itsuki-san taught me Japanese and along with Nii-san helped me become better at piano. The orphanage would let me come with them back to their house to play on a grand piano. Itsuki-san was very kind. He had treated me as a second son like how Nii-san had treated me like his younger brother. I could even remember the Christmas after he had first gotten adopted. He told me,_

"_I would never forget my kawaii otouto-san."_

_I was happy. And when I heard there was a rich man wanting to adopt I thought this would be the chance I could get a father like Itsuki-san. The man was tall and had a very business-like expression. While all the kids had crowded around him, I had waited in my own room practicing on the keyboard Itsuki-san and Nii-san had gotten for me. I found out later that the man's name was Mr. Hikari and that he had taken an interest in me. _

_The next day when I went to visit Nii-san he had smiled proudly. He mussed my hair and grinned brightly. "Gambatte, Roxas!" That day Nii-san had spent his time playing with me and spoiling me with the money he had worked hard to earn from his new job. I had told him I didn't need it but he had replied, "You deserve it." The next time we went Nii-san had said the same thing and had even invited a new friend with us. I was young and didn't know the meaning beneath what Nii-san had told me then. That girl was his new girlfriend and he had wanted me to meet her. _

"_Hi, I'm Rika. Pleased to meet you Roxas!" _

_I smiled back. She was very pretty. She had long caramel colored hair that trailed down her back and a warm, kind smile. Plus, she liked Nii-san as much as I did. "I'm Roxas. Likewise." Rika-san was probably wondering about my age because of my manners. I wanted to impress her so Nii-san would be happy and they would grow closer. We spent a lot of time together and laughed a lot. Then a few days after that, I found out that Itsuki-san had been hurt. _

_My eyes had widened at the news. The orphanage would not let me go visit and Nii-san had yet to come. But Rika-san came in his place two days after I heard the news. She smiled sadly and brought me inside a car that drove us to the hospital. Nii-san was sitting in a chair, looking very tired. I ran to him and hugged him before he pushed me away slightly. My body immediately took a step back. Rika put a hand on my shoulder and then walked with Nii-san to someplace leaving me alone. I found out the room number of Itsuki-san and followed it to a white room with a bed, dresser, and bathroom. A man was laying limp under the white sheets with his leg hanging in the air. _

"_Itsuki-san!" I had shouted running to his side. The man I had known smiled kindly at me and patted my head. I could feel my tears trickling down my face and Itsuki-san's warm hand wiping them away. What had scared me the most was when a hand had gotten a firm grip on my shoulder and pulled me away from Itsuki-san's bedside. I spun to face the person and was surprised to see Mr. Hikari standing there. He pulled me away out of the room despite my tantrum and bites. Then when he finally let go of me, slapped me across the face. _

_I didn't dare to move._

* * *

**A/N: Writer's block and the fact I've been getting new ideas that don't fit any of the stories I already started. I'm really sorry I'm slow!**_  
_

**Japanese translations:**

**Nii-san: Older brother  
-san: Mr., Ms., Mrs., a polite way to address someone  
Kawaii: Cute  
Otouto-san: Younger brother  
Gambatte: Do your best; Good luck!**


	4. A New Song

**Chapter 4: A New Song**

Summary: _Roxas was an outcast. He made it that way, and he never complained about it. He hid his own secrets only so that one person could find it, his reason for playing, and his heart. Roxas X Namin_é

Disclaimer**: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters.**

_I was enraged. I was furious. But…_

_Somehow something stopped me from even being able to move. I felt frozen under his eyes and fear rose up from my heart. When he spoke, his voice seemed to echo in my ears and no matter how hard, no matter how much I tried, I still hear them to this very day._

"_You are the cause of this!" He shouted at me. I looked up at him, my eyes shocked and scared. I began to inch away using my arms to try to escape from him. Was he not lying? Was this why Itsuki-san, the man who had taken care of me as if I was his own son, was hurt? Was it truly my fault? My face still felt sore from his slap and only when I touched it to get back to reality did it hurt. "You are not allowed to see them ever again! Do you understand? That man is beneath you, Roxas! A person of your intelligence should be able to understand! Do you?!" _

_I leaned over and hung my head in defeat. "Yes, yes I understand." Tears began to drop to my pants and my hands moved to my face to wipe away any tears. Mr. Hikari bent down to my height and put his hand on my hair. It felt cold and meaningless, yet somehow some strange sort of feeling rose and nearly overcame my sadness. 'Pride'. I was proud that Mr. Hikari had chosen me to be his newly adopted son. So many things raced through my head. What would I get? What new things would I eat? I'd be rich and once I became old enough would succeed as the new CEO and owner of the Hikari's many businesses and franchises. _

"_Why me?" I asked. My blue eyes stared intently at Mr. Hikari's smug expression. _

"_Because, you are special." He told me with a smile. He lent me his hand and heaved me up onto my feet. I stood up proudly, completely forgetting the feelings that had surged up in my chest which were now being replaced with feelings of pride, glory, and victory. _

_When Mr. Hikari showed me his piano room in the manor the keys reminded me of the music I heard. The orphanage wasn't rich but the neighborhood was at the bottom of the hill and at the top of this hill there was a large mansion. When I was seven I would wander there to admire the blooming sakura trees. That was when I met you. _

_I would stay outside the mansion gates and would listen to your brother playing the piano. It reminded me of Nii-san. He had already been adopted and he hadn't visited for a while. Hearing the lovely melody made me feel happy and calm. One way or another you invited me to play. I was surprised at your beauty and kindness; I thought you would yell at me to leave, but you didn't. I was happy, until your father found out. He dragged you out of the room and when I tried to stop him that man stopped me. _

_Ansem Hikari, the man who would later become my father. _

_I felt lonely and it hurt when I heard that you were punished severely. It had been my fault. Later when I grew up did I realize how much pain and hurt that I had caused those who had befriended me and got close. So I broke ties with my friends when I was in high school. Before I had a rebellious streak for rejecting the people my father had asked me to befriend. I kept on good terms with them but I would never call them my friends. _

_You rejected your friends to be with me. That's why your father found out. That's why the music room in your house was locked and shut away. I wanted to call out to you and tell you to come back, but it wouldn't matter. I beat myself up for it, and got so angry that I thrashed around even when I got older. If something ever reminded me of what a lost cause of having you to come back I would want to destroy everything to make me sure that you wouldn't, but I was wrong. You never came back until now. And though I already knew my lesson, I still have this dying urge to be with you. I want to be right next to you. I knew this feeling well. _

_Guilt._

_That's why I defended you. I already knew it was you, Naminé, because you treated me with that unforgettable kindness. I was furious at Tamaki when he dared call me again. It had nothing to do with business but through my own private information crew, I had found out that he had gotten a woman pregnant and was planning to marry her. I knew he would cause you trouble so I had asked him not to pick you up but he did anyways, huh? When I saw him in the piano room I was enraged again because I knew he hadn't listened. But I had only ever spoke to him on the phone and did not know what he looked like. So when I just told him I was 'Roxas' he didn't know I was Hikari's son. But I knew who he was the moment he told me he was your brother. _

_So I defended you but it was a failed attempt. I just couldn't prevent you becoming hurt again and damaged. You had already been through so much; I couldn't bear to let you be hurt when I could have prevented it. We're even now. But somehow I didn't want to leave your side. When I saw you sitting with my friends, I had already taken off the bandages wrapped around my ankle and had cracked the cast open. My ankle wasn't broken. It never even hurt until they put on the cast. So when I took it off, my ankle moved fine. They had made a mistake in the rush of getting me fixed before school, but my ribs still hurt though so they weren't totally wrong._

_People in PE thought I was trying to gain sympathy and popularity. I don't really know, but the boys complain about how the girls always talk about me. Sora, Hayner, and Pence don't really care because they know I wouldn't try to steal someone else's girlfriend. But the other guys still go after me about it. They poured a bucket of water on me the day you saw my parents. They had used paint and wrote things like, "Get out of here", "Nobody wants you, you wannabe heir", and "You don't belong here". It never hurt because I knew they were angry and they had every right to be. The guys tried to have their girlfriends turn against me and ignore me using the threat that they would break-up with them; they complied. So I was popular in the way I was shunned by everyone because they knew who I was. _

_My father did not approve of Twilight Academy so I could never tell him of my school life. I had to act emotionless and almost as if nothing ever happens to me but that was difficult. And when they had shown up unexpectedly I could not even attempt to hide my injuries. My father cursed my foolishness but saw potential in me. My mother cared about me like a real mother but it was hard to bring myself to love someone as if they were family. _

_I have a photo of me at my first competition. Itsuki-san had a surprise for me that day. He brought along a man and a woman. The woman ran to hug me and embraced me tightly. The man looked down at me and put a warm hand on my hair. I looked at Nii-san unsurely but he gave me an encouraging smile and a thumbs-up sign. Something pushed me to hug the woman back and tears had also begun to stream down my face. That warmth left the minute they were gone. The woman waved goodbye and hugged me tightly along with the man. Tears were falling down her face and the man was grinning brightly but sadly. _

_It hurt when they left. I felt lonely again but Itsuki-san and Nii-san hugged me. I had just returned from competition and the next day was when I met you. A few years later, Mr. Hikari would adopt me. Then I would try to rebuild my life fighting against the current pulling me back into the darkness I had been in when I had stood up that day next to Mr. Hikari. When I was in my third-year of middle school I was finally allowed to see Itsuki-san and Nii-san to find out Itsuki-san had died and Nii-san was struggling dealing with his and Rika-san's baby girl. Rika-san had left him and had wanted the girl to go to an orphanage. Nii-san wouldn't allow it, and took on the responsibility on his own. _

_To know that this happened because of me hurt so much. I was thankful for Itsuki-san and went to visit Nii-san as much as I could. And the man and woman I had met, I could never find them again. But I kept the photo because that was the first time besides Nii-san and Itsuki-san where I was actually able to become so close to someone so quickly, almost as if a bond had already been there. It wasn't like that with you, but I was attracted and drawn to your kindness. I admired you for it._

Memories flashed through Roxas' eyes. It was so clear because there was no moment, which he wasn't allowed to forget. When he had seen the gravestone with Itsuki's name on it he had felt a complete betrayal to the first family that had taken him in. A still full glass remained in front of him as he stared into Naminé's eyes. He laughed, "I'm sorry. But that's the whole truth. Shun me too and I'll be happy knowing you won't even have a chance of being corrupted."

Naminé couldn't bear it anymore. Tears began to fall down her face. Her blue eyes shimmered with sadness. Roxas seemed shocked and smiled at her warmly. When had she last seen that smile? It must've been a while. It had felt like it at least. She could remember him giving her gentle smiles and small gestures of kindness.

She could feel a warm hand on her cheeks as his thumbs wiped away the tears. "I guess I can't say 'it's okay'." She looked up and he smiled. "Sometimes I just want to know what will happen to me in the long run. But I'm glad that I got to meet you again!" Naminé wiped away her own tears and smiled a teary smile. That was all Roxas wanted. "C'mon, let me take you somewhere as an apology for making you cry."

"What? You don't have to." She told him. Roxas just smiled at her again and grabbed his bag before standing up.

"It's been a while since you've been here. Let me show you around." He took Naminé's hand with a grin and Naminé nearly fell trying to keep up with him. They broke off into a run and he led her through crowded streets so easily, it was as if no one was there. Night had fallen and they passed by different stores, windows that were illuminated displaying many products, lampposts that lit the streets up, and people's gazes at them. They were more focused on Roxas than anything when they saw the blonde run pass them with a girl behind him.

Finally Roxas froze in front of a run-down apartment complex. Naminé slowed down and stood beside him, also staring at the building. A girl had spotted him through a window and ran to greet him. She had shining gray eyes and brown hair that trailed behind her back. Roxas looked down at the four-year-old and patted her coffee hair. She turned to stare at the newcomer and moved closer to inspect who she was. Naminé smiled nervously.

Roxas pulled the girl back and shook his head at her. "This is my… friend, Hina." He explained. The girl named Anna smiled back at Naminé. Naminé relaxed until another figure came outside of the house. The pianist seemed shocked until Naminé caught his hand in hers. His head turned to face Naminé. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand slightly. "Kouichi," Roxas whispered to her. She was a little bit surprised but smiled calmly.

"Hi, I'm Naminé Hiroshi. Pleased to meet you."

Kouichi stared at her and merely nodded. "I'm Kouichi Aizawa. The pleasure is mine." He shook her hand briefly before turning to his daughter. "Hina, go to bed. It's late." His daughter pouted before turning back to the apartment. Naminé was nervous and Roxas could feel her hand tremble. He held it steady and waved goodbye. "Leaving already, Roxas?" Kouichi asked him when he saw Roxas take a step.

He laughed. "I need to show Naminé the rest of the town. I'll probably just take her to the park or something." Kouichi wasn't satisfied.

"Oh well, Cid was looking for you. He wanted to see if you wanted to check out this new grand piano he got."

"It's fine. We still haven't gotten dinner." He turned to Naminé. "Let's go?" She could tell he wanted to get out of here. She nodded and walked beside him, hand-in-hand. Kouichi watched them with his arms folded across his chest. He sighed deeply and shook his head before heading back inside.

Roxas led her to a restaurant that was decorated with lights. A dark-haired host stood outside the door and was surprised to see Roxas standing outside the gates of the restaurant. "Young Master Roxas! And—" The man was surprised to see a girl standing next to Roxas, even going so far as to hold his hand. She was smiling in admiration and Roxas stared at her lovingly with his blue orbs. Roxas turned back to look at the man.

"Ah, Lucas." Roxas stated dully.

"Yes, Young Master Roxas. Your parents are also dinning tonight here. Are you to join them?" Lucas asked. He was slightly fearful of the Hikari heir, because he had been known to fire someone immediately and without warning. Little did he know, was that his father ordered it and he was just following them.

Roxas shook his head. "I don't believe my parents sent word of my arrival. Actually I was hoping we could have a table out here." He motioned to one of the many empty tables that resided outside. Lucas nodded to him and led them to the back of the restaurant where several lone tables overlooked a lake. Naminé was shocked but Roxas brushed it off easily.

"This is owned by the Hikari's," Lucas explained, "They thought Young Master Roxas would like a lake so they dug one and made it quite a wondrous view. This is for VIPs if they request it. They own most of the land and stores around in this district, they didn't mind if some shops had to downsize. This restaurant was actually quite large before." Naminé understood this well. Her father would have done the same thing if she had requested it or he thought that she would've wanted it. The Hiroshi's owned a lot of land and stores and businesses in many areas. She knew Roxas' family must've also been like that.

Naminé turned sharply to look at Roxas. He was chatting easily with Lucas, while previously he had dismissed him with a wave of his hand. Roxas' blue eyes were bright and shining it was hard to tell he was a person who had suffered so much. She knew he had been attracted to greed as a kid and repented through a guilty heart by protecting people. The blonde teen had noticed someone's eyes boring into him. "Naminé, what is it?" He asked.

The artist became flustered but was interrupted by the host before she could answer. "Wait. Are you the Hiroshi's Naminé?" Lucas asked. Naminé nodded. Lucas ran a hand through his curly hair and looked at the pair. "Madame Naminé, your parents are here also."

Roxas looked at her. Naminé's expression resembled the one he had shown when he was a child. It was the realization of something that was so distant before, now so close. He could see Naminé gulp visibly and she inhaled deeply. He placed a warm hand on her shoulder and saw as her face lit up slightly at his touch. "They don't know we're here. Everything will be fine." Roxas told her confidently. When she saw his smile, she couldn't help but crack one herself. Roxas' smile turned to a bright grin similar to Sora's. They looked so much alike, Naminé thought, but Roxas was always so gloomy it's hard to tell.

"Yeah, let's just enjoy our dinner." Naminé replied. Lucas smiled in admiration at the couple. They were not afraid their parents were so close that they would be able to see them. They were not afraid if they got caught. They were not afraid of anything, because nothing could tear them apart.

"Well then, Young Master Roxas and Madame Naminé, what would you two like?"

Naminé spoke up first, "Shouldn't you be attending up front?"

Lucas laughed lightly. He put a hand on Naminé's hair briefly before placing it at his side. "Nobody else can know about you two. In one day the story about your brother has spread and the news that the Hikari's are suing the Hiroshi's. It's already hectic inside, Master Hiroshi and Master Hikari are already fighting while the wives are debating about Young Master Tamaki. It'd be news to many people if the two potential heir and heiress of the companies' are having dinner at night on a romantic evening. The school is one thing, but the press is a whole other." Lucas said before collecting the menus after taking their orders. Lucas swiftly headed to the kitchen and dropped it off before coming back to the front of the restaurant.

"This isn't turning out the way I expected." Roxas laughed. Naminé smiled back at him and turned to look at the lake. The water was crystal clear and the moon above was reflected upon the water. Roxas looked down at the water and his smile slowly faded. "I never really wanted the lake." He told her. Naminé's eyes looked into his. "I just wanted to get out of there. So badly." His knuckles started to pail and a red stain formed on the white tablecloth beneath his fist. Naminé grabbed Roxas' hand and took her handkerchief out of her bag and wrapped it around his wound. Four crescent shaped lines were leaking blood and it ran down his hands until Naminé had stopped it. "Thank you." He told her softly, taking his wrapped hand away.

The artist smiled. "It's nothing. I'm sorry you had to get hurt while I am here."

By then Lucas returned with their food and the bill. "Best to pay now, just in case you need to run." He told them jokingly. The two Twilight Academy students returned it with a laugh and with Roxas' persistence had not allowed Naminé to pay. He handed Lucas his credit card and he quickly returned. "Thank you, Young Master Roxas and Madame Naminé." Lucas left them to their dinner with a smile on his face.

"Don't worry about it." Roxas told her later as he finished up his plate. A man of good etiquette, Roxas dabbed the corners of his mouth and set the napkin on top of his plate. Naminé took a sip of her drink and smiled. He always felt happy to see that smile but he saw her shiver slightly and took off his jacket and placed it over Naminé's shoulders. The girl's blue eyes looked deeply into his smile as he held out his hand for her to take.

Tamaki had sat inside the restaurant bored. When he stared out the window he could see two familiar sights of blonde hair. He stood up from his seat quickly and ran outside. His parents had followed him; they couldn't afford any more trouble from him. The man smirked secretly and pointed to the two teens. "Isn't that Naminé holding that Hikari scum's hand?" By then the Hikari couple had come outside and was shocked to see their son's jacket draped around the young girl's shoulders. "I'll send some servants after them." Tamaki said sneeringly.

Naminé followed Roxas as he led her to another destination. She trusted him, but it'd be nice to know where they were going. He gave her hand a slight squeeze and led her into the park where him and his friends would meet. As usual Olette, Kairi, Selphie, Yuffie, Tifa, and Aerith were chatting on a bench while the guys were in the blitzball field next to them. It was much smaller than their school's but was good to practice. Naminé instinctively let go of Roxas' hand and waved to the girls before joining them. Roxas stuffed his hands in his pockets and smiled encouragingly when she had taken a last look at him.

"Hey Roxie! What are you doing here?" Yuffie asked.

Roxas shrugged and winked at Naminé before going inside the blitzball field. "Can I play?" Roxas asked unsurely.

Sora got out and breathed heavily, "Of course. Planning on coming to practices now?"

Riku looked at Roxas with a smile and Hayner gave him a thumbs-up sign. Pence waved and Axel, Leon, and Cloud gave him a pat on the back when he entered. They held their breaths until one person would get a point and take a breather before starting again.

When Sora, Roxas, Cloud, and Axel won the game Riku, Pence, Hayner, and Leon went to go get them ice cream. Roxas and Sora came with them, insisting that they'd get the girls some as well. It was strange to see Roxas so social and smiling. Even though he still hung out with them when he was in middle school he looked like crap. He was gloomy and had his hands in his pockets most of the time. During practices he'd play but sometimes so aggressively he'd get kicked out for a season. But somehow today he was smiling brightly at them, playing for fun, and not having his hands in his pockets.

When Naminé saw the boys soaked she didn't know what to make of it. Blitzball was popular in Destiny Islands but it's not like she's ever watched a game. "Thanks Roxas." She said to him with a smile when he handed her a strawberry sundae cone. Kairi nudged her in the ribs slightly and all of the girls laughed when she blushed. Once Naminé was there, the previous topic was dropped and why she had Roxas' coat and was with him became the new one.

_Previously--- _

"_Wow Naminé, what'd you do to Roxie?" Yuffie asked when she saw him in the blitzball field with the guys. _

_Naminé flushed. "I didn't do anything!" _

_Kairi put a hand on Naminé's shoulder and the blonde artist settled back down. She hadn't gone through this because Sora was just a little more cautious when he acted on a date but knew what was going through her head. They looked so similar it was as if a bond was already there. "Guys, c'mon. Don't give her too much of a hard time!" Naminé looked at Kairi thankfully and sighed. "But has he kissed you yet?" Naminé's blue eyes widened and she shook her head vigorously as her face began to turn beet red. _

"_Kairi! We're just friends!" She protested. _

"_But we're Roxas' friends too, but he doesn't act that kind." Tifa spoke up. _

"_I knew him when I was little though. Maybe that's why!" _

_Yuffie shook her head. "So did all of us! But he likes you Naminé! Admit it!" _

_Naminé didn't respond. "He doesn't." She whispered. "He can't." Tears seemed to form in her eyes and the girls crowded her and apologized. Naminé had smiled through her tears and hugged her friends back and apologized for crying so unreasonably. Roxas caught sight of them in the corner of his eye and looked away, focusing on the game._

Currently---_  
_

"So, where to next?" Riku asked the group.

"Hey, what about—" Hayner stopped when he heard his cell phone ring. "Hello? Wait. What? Yes, I understand." Hayner mumbled before hanging up. He looked at Naminé guiltily and roughly grabbed her wrist. "I'm ordered to take you back, Madame." His expression was vacant as his friends stared at him. Naminé's eyes widened.

"What? No! I don't want to, Hayner!" She resisted.

"You have to, Madame." He told her before turning to Olette and the others. Roxas had a cross expression and his arms were folded over his chest. He raised an eyebrow at Hayner. "I'm a servant for the Hiroshi family. Unless you didn't know, Madame Naminé's family is also rich similarly to Young Master Roxas." It was strange hearing his best friend address him like how his servants did at the main mansion. Roxas had to prevent this. He took a step toward Hayner and slapped him with the back of his hand.

Everyone turned to look at Roxas. Hayner was on the grass, touching the wound Roxas had inflicted. The blonde pianist towered over him and extended his hand. Hayner looked up and smiled at his best friend, "Yeah, thanks. I needed that." The rest of the group sighed in relief and watched as Roxas lifted Hayner to his feet. "They don't know that Naminé's here, but they'll be sending all of the servants and maids to search. Naminé," He turned to face the heiress, "You'll need to stay in the dorms. Your parents don't know that there's still a room for you. You too, Roxas." Naminé nodded while Roxas shrugged nonchalantly.

"Roommates?" Roxas asked Hayner. The two boys silently made their agreement by punching each other's knuckle. "Naminé, it was arranged so you would stay with Kairi. That shouldn't be a problem, right?" Both girls shook their heads. "Well, it's almost curfew so let's go." The group followed him except for Hayner who stayed behind. Olette noticed him and put her hand on his.

"It doesn't matter to me, Hayner. Let's go home?" She asked him gently. Hayner looked up and put his cell phone away and ran with Olette to catch up.

When they arrived in front of the two dorms the guys and girls parted. While everyone went back, Roxas had gone in briefly to inform the dorm head and then went outside to sit on the steps. A person from the girls' dorm saw him and opened the door. "There's always tomorrow, Roxas." She told the teen. Roxas looked up and saw the blonde artist's face. "See you in the morning?" She asked him unsurely.

"I'll see you in the morning." He reassured her. She bid him good night and closed the door. Roxas stared at his wrapped hand and slowly revealed the four punctures in his palm. He stood up and smiled as he pocketed the cloth whispering under his breath, "Sweet dreams."

The next morning when Roxas woke up it was only 6:00 in the morning. Hayner slept on the bed next to him, drool trailing down his chin as he snored peacefully. Roxas sighed, no wonder he woke up so early! He scratched the back of his head for some ideas and wandered into the bathroom and took a shower. He hardly used any hot water, even though he was used to it, because he knew that they only gave each room a limited supply of it. Hayner would need it, if he ever wanted to see the light of day again. Being his roommate for the entirety of the previous year had led Roxas to find out many interesting habits of his roommate.

For one, Hayner snored like a bulldozer.

Two, he slept in late and you had to flip over his bed to get him to wake up.

Three, he drooled, so it wasn't in anybody's best interest if you lent him an extra pillow.

Four, if you wake him up and rush him through the whole waking up process, he'll reveal anything if you ask him or start blabbing the secrets of everyone else.

So that led him to using cold water most of the time and saving the rest for his roommate. "Wake up, Hayner!" Roxas yelled. It was useless as usual but Hayner did curl up even more at the sound of his voice. Roxas sighed and heaved the mattress so that his friend rolled off and onto the floor. Hayner was still a bit groggy but the hot water woke him up and they had plenty of time to spare before heading down to get breakfast. The two boys were dressed in their white blazers and met up with Riku, wearing his black one around his waist, and Pence wearing the blue blazer unbuttoned. Hayner and Sora hated wearing it buttoned and had also followed Pence's example. Roxas was the only one who wore the formal uniform.

"Good thing you're here Roxas. It takes forever to wake up Hayner. I don't know how you did it so quickly!" Pence told Roxas. Hayner scowled but laughed along with the other boys. They met with Leon, Cloud, and Axel at the cafeteria who were sitting across from the girls. All of them wore their uniforms without any adjustments and had always made a joke about it to the boys. "Morning ladies!" Hayner shouted. He began to converse with them about how evil Roxas was for turning his mattress over and had caused the girls to laugh.

Roxas grinned at his best friend before turning to Naminé. "So how was your first night in a dorm, Naminé?" He asked.

"It was good! Everyone's so nice; I think I might just move to the dorm. Much easier to commute."

"It is. I feel bad I missed all of this for months. It's so much… better, than living in that apartment."

Selphie stood up abruptly pointing at Roxas. "We've never been to your apartment, Roxas! You have to take us there before you move!" Roxas covered his ears jokingly while grinning to Selphie and singing a tune. Selphie pouted as she sat down and the group laughed happily as they ate their breakfast.

"Oh, Roxas! Special assembly, President wanted to ask you if you can play. It's already set up, she thinks she knows you pretty well." Hayner explained to Roxas after second period. Roxas shrugged.

"Who's the student council president anyway? Don't tell me…"

"Yup! It's me, Roxie!" said a voice at the other end of the hall. Roxas turned with a grimace to look at the person.

During lunch Naminé noticed Roxas was looking grim. "What's wrong Roxas?" She asked. Roxas looked up and saw her eyes full of worry. He hated being like this; _that person_ just happened to take away his more than happy mood with the sound of her voice. Roxas shook his head and smiled gently at Naminé. He looked around to the others and when he saw that all of them were absorbed in their own conversations he bent over the table and whispered in her ear, "Every thing's perfect." Swiftly, he gave her a kiss on the cheek before running off with his bag telling the group that he had to practice. Naminé's face was beet red, just after a kiss on the cheek. She got that often after dates, but Roxas always made her heart be faster. Just a kiss would send her heart flying; she didn't care where it was.

Kairi had noticed this and lightly punched Naminé in the arm. "He's too cocky nowadays. Maybe it's just for you." Kairi whispered to Naminé. The blonde hit the redhead back and they both began laughing, much to the confusion of the others in the group.

Roxas ran to the auditorium to see his favorite grand piano sitting on the stage. "Rikku, you devil!" He yelled at the blonde haired girl sitting on the stool. She waved at him brightly, much to his annoyance. "I'll play but get the hell out of here!" Roxas scowled as she passed by him with a bright smile and a flick of her hair. She hadn't changed a bit.

The teen couldn't wipe the scowl away and ran his hand through his spiky hair in frustration. "Damn it Rikku, using me like this." He muttered under his breath before slipping on the white gloves he'd always worn before playing. The gloves had remained its pristine white color but had several tears already from going through the wash too much. Rikku was the daughter of his mother's sister who also ran a company famous for selling kimonos. Those were very pricey and well made; he owned one and had to admit it. His cousin was not to be tampered with and being two years older than him, left him at a disadvantage.

His parents had also asked that he befriend Rikku. Like hell he did. He had avoided her as much as possible, but that was difficult since she always seemed to want to torture him. When he first entered middle school Rikku had greeted him with a thump on his back and had treated him to lunch. He met famous and powerful people in the art world. Normally a person would be thankful, but he wanted to go to his friends as soon as he could. He knew he parents had asked that Rikku immerse me in the life of someone powerful, like I would grow-up to be. Instead, he just wanted to be with his friends and make-up for the lost time.

Roxas stopped playing when he saw Rikku open the gym door. "Ready?"

He shrugged casually and grabbed his music before heading behind the corner. He would come out to the stage and play two pieces of his choice and then let the principal speak before going on again and playing a third and final song. Apparently, his presence made the assembly popular and many people came (the assembly wasn't mandatory) just to see what Roxas had been up to. Not many people heard his playing and to see and listen was a dream come true to Roxas fanatics.

Rikku stepped up on stage in front of the packed crowd. "Hi, I'm Rikku. I'm your student council president! I want to present to you the opening of our special assembly, Roxas Hikari from Class 2-1 in the music department!!!" Roxas stepped out wearing a fresh white suit provided and his white tattered gloves. He bowed to the crowd and sat down on the stool. His fingers began to move to the sound of Rachmaninoff. Everyone watched intently as the pianist moved to the sound of the music, his fingers giving life to the notes.

Hayner looked at everyone around him. He knew Roxas was living up to his concert name, 'The Black and White Prince'. Everyone was astounded as he ruled behind the piano and shook his or her hearts with his music. He smiled proudly, but never forgetting how much he wanted to be called 'The Black and White Prince'. He was also a piano player but the President had just asked him to ask Roxas to play for the assembly. That stung.

When Roxas finished playing, he cocked his head and flashed a quick smile before exiting the stage, he caught Naminé's smile and felt it grow wider as he left.

The crowd cheered and gasped when they saw his smile but Naminé could only smile back and saw his smile grow wider as he exited. The principal had to take several minutes to quiet the students as he began to talk about the Arts Festival and how the three departments would be preparing it starting tomorrow. The classes would individually set up a display or perform.

Roxas silently listened in the back as he draped a towel around his neck. He cursed Rikku for setting so many lights on him, making him sweat as he played. It was exhausting, he could feel it run down his face and saw them in the air as he continuously moved as he played. The blonde president approached him with a smile. "Good job, Roxas! Even the principal was surprised when he saw you play. That song was long, though. No need to play a second one, right?"

The pianist glared at her. "Shut up. The principal's finished, so I'll take my leave." He wiped his face once more and tossed the towel aside before stepping out like before. This time he was asked by the principal to say a few words. Roxas nodded and stood proudly at the microphone. "Hello everyone," He started, "Before I play a final song, I will ask that you all do your best for the Twilight Academy Art Festival. Also, this song isn't perfect. I actually wrote this, just last week and it's the first time I've played it through. It's called, _The Artist's Lullaby, His Promise_. So please, bear with me." Roxas bowed deeply and took a seat as the audience erupted in applause.

As he set his fingers on the ivory keys everyone was silenced. Hayner leaned in slightly. He'd known Roxas had been practicing that song in the piano room they used to share. He'd catch clips of the music before it disappeared with the sound of moving feet. He also noticed Naminé lean in as well, but because she wanted to watch Roxas. Not because of some stupid competitive reason. A normal person would have thought it was stupid for best friends to have a one-sided rivalry, but Hayner needed this.

Roxas turned towards Naminé and smiled to himself before he began to play. The song was happy and light, but also carried a heavy feeling almost as if it was clinging to the happiness inside. He didn't know why he even felt like composing a song that would reveal his feelings. He never saw himself doing it. Roxas was smiling brightly as he came to the close, swaying his body to a song so steady and clear. People were immersed in his music. It was so pure and raw; it was also powerful.

When the last note rang in the auditorium, people were surprised that such a thing would end so wonderfully. The pianist smiled brightly before exiting the stage and slipping off his white gloves. A stunned Naminé was left in his wake and she immediately ran to the 'Prince'. Roxas wiped the sweat off of his brow with a towel handed to him by a very surprised principal and placed it across his shoulders. When he saw Naminé run up the steps and onto the backstage he could only remained still as she ran into his arms and placed a kiss on his lips.

Roxas was still red when Naminé had broken the kiss. The astounded blonde could only smile gently and say smartly, "I'm guessing you liked your song."


	5. Slowly Rising Crescendo, Long Fermata

**Chapter 5: The Slowly Rising Crescendo to a Long Fermata**

Summary:_Roxas was an outcast. He made it that way, and he never complained about it. He hid his own secrets only so that one person could find it, his reason for playing, and his heart. Roxas X Namin_é

Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters.**

Roxas turned away and picked up his music. "I'm happy you liked it. I really am." He told her, barely above a whisper.

Naminé grinned brightly. She grabbed his arm, making him drop his music and looked up at the pianist. The older blonde looked down at her, a hidden emotion in his eyes with his gentle smile. "I wish you could see how many people loved you, Roxas!" She had told him when they had exited the auditorium. By then she had let go of his arm but she spun around him with such excitement and joy. The others had gone ahead to the dorms so they were left to themselves.

When she noticed that he hadn't spoken a single word she stopped and looked him in the eye. "What's wrong?"

Roxas cocked his head to the side and began to rub the back of his neck. He had half a mind to tell him what types of pictures were reeling through his head, but he merely shook his head and placed a warm hand on her shoulder before starting to walk again. Naminé stood there, frozen. She wheeled around and shouted, "Why?!"

He stopped walking. He turned his head back and asked, "What do you mean?"

"You never tell me anything!"

Roxas' emotions flared up. "What do you mean 'I don't tell you anything'?!" He responded, not turning to look at her. What happened to that happy moment where they had kissed and she had walked around him so happily without a care in the world? "I've told you everything, Naminé!"

"Not what you're thinking!" She retorted.

Finally, Roxas turned to look at her. His blue eyes were ablaze with fury and anger. How could she ruin it so quickly? Didn't it mean anything to her? Hadn't she thought of the consequences?! "You're the one who needs to understand! I can only protect you so much! Don't you think I want to protect what we have!" He yelled out. Roxas shook his hair out of his face and looked away again. They remained silent as they walked back to the dorms and did not bid each other goodnight.

When he arrived back at his room, Hayner sat on his bed playing his guitar. "Hey, Roxas!" Hayner said, while he put away his guitar.

"Hey," He responded dully. He was angry with Naminé for not understanding, but he knew it still wasn't right to shout at her. "I'm going to bed."

Hayner was surprised to hear that. "In your uniform?" He asked. Roxas shrugged and pulled the covers over his body. Hayner couldn't order him not to, so he had to let him be. Despite not approving of his actions, Hayner left the room and turned off the light.

Sora, who'd watched their fight from afar, snuck into the pianist's room when Hayner had disappeared. "Yo!" He shouted brightly. Roxas became startled and nearly fell off his bed. He glared at the other music student and slammed on his bedside lamp to see. Sora smiled at him and moved to the teen's roommate's bed. He sat in a comfortable position and turned to look at Roxas seriously. "Apologize, okay?"

Roxas sat up immediately. He glared at Sora knowing he had watched them and replied, "I know. Don't you think _I've _already figured that out?"

The brown-haired teen laughed. "Of course, Roxas! I'm just wondering whether or not you're going to do it." Roxas remained silent and Sora could see he was clutching the edge of his sheets tightly. "She's outside, ya know?"

The teen's bright blue eyes widened. "Get out. I'm getting changed." Roxas said suddenly, pulling out a new set of clothes from his drawers. Sora hid a smile as he got up and left the room. When Roxas finished changing, he slowly walked outside and watched Naminé stare at the sky. Her face was streaked with tears and she was constantly wiping them away. Roxas crept up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

Naminé seemed to jump a bit in his arm and her light blue eyes made an attempt to see who it was. She already knew it was him the minute she could feel the gentleness in his touch. "I'm so sorry, Naminé." He whispered in her ear. "I shouldn't have gotten mad, and this fight never should've happened. I'm sorry."

The girl wiped away the last of her tears and turned around to look at him, still wrapped in his arms. "Yeah, me too." She whispered into his shirt. Roxas lightly placed a kiss on her head and unwillingly let go of her to go to bed.

The next morning, Hayner woke up to see Roxas already dressed in a white button-up shirt and black dress pants. He yawned and rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "Roxas, what are you doing?" He asked sleepily.

Roxas turned around and finished buttoning up his shirt over a necklace. "Morning Hayner." Hayner merely waved at him groggily and fell back onto his pillow. Roxas knew he wouldn't last long and just getting the greetings would make him fall back asleep. Roxas didn't want his friend to worry about him. He couldn't allow him to find out that he'd been summoned by his father and was going to meet him today. If he did, then they would try to stop him. He had to go to this meeting, or else they would get hurt. Roxas grabbed his briefcase on his way out and turned to look at the room one last time before he left, "See you."

When he was outside of the dorm, he sighed in relief no one had seen him. Unsurprisingly, a black car waited outside to take Roxas to his father. He ran his hand through his hair in annoyance and waved away the driver before walking pass the car. "I'm walking. It's not that far away." The chauffer nodded his head.

"Understood. Please be on time, Young Master Roxas."

Roxas smiled at him. The man was surprised to see the heir smile. None of his servants had. "Yeah. Sorry to trouble you."

Immediately, the chauffer shook his head. "Of course not, Young Master! Please remain safe on your walk!" Roxas merely smiled again and waved goodbye before walking to his father's office. As he walked, he noticed the chauffer continued to watch him with an awkward smile on his face. It was understandable, of course. Hardly anybody saw him smile or respond so kindly. He _must_ be spending too much time with Naminé.

When the teen arrived at the front of the large building, a man dressed in black opened the door for him and greeted him with a low head, "Welcome Young Master." Roxas nodded in acknowledgment towards him. The man opened up an agenda and began to address the current matters Roxas would be attending to. "Your father has asked that you meet with Wakka, star player of the Besaid Aurochs, about something 'urgent' he said. And also, your father has also told me that the CEOs of the Kurosaki Group and the Takaya Group have personally asked you to meet with them. He'll be with you during the introductions, of course."

"Alright. I'll get to it then." Roxas began to walk away but paused for a second when he remembered something. "Has my father set out a new coat for me?" The man looked at the heir and suppressed a smile.

"Yes, he did. It should be hanging on the coat rack next to the elevator."

Roxas nodded and as he headed up the elevator, pulled over the brand new coat. When he arrived at the office, Wakka jumped from his seat and stood up to shake his hand. Roxas smiled at him warmly while shaking his hand firmly. "You said it was urgent?" He started once they both sat down. His father was not attending the meeting, as expected. That man hated blitzball and only bought the Besaid Aurochs because they easily gave him a lot of money.

The blitzball star wrung his hands nervously. "I need a few weeks off." He explained. "Mr. Hikari seems like a fine man, but it's hard to believe he would willingly give me two weeks off the season when there's four games. Of course, by Mr. Hikari, I mean your father."

Roxas laughed lightly. "I know. Call me Roxas, anyways. Wakka, I can do what I can. I promise." When he said that Wakka nodded and shook his hand gratefully. "It was a pleasure to speak with such an amazing blitzball player. My friends will be so jealous." The blitzball player grinned.

"You seem much happier nowadays, Roxas. I've noticed from when I first saw you. But thanks; I really appreciate this. Come to the games if you'd like!"

"Nah, it's fine. I still have other matters to attend to. If you'll excuse me, I have another meeting to attend unfortunately." Roxas waved goodbye before exiting the room and heading into another conference room where two people sat down on a leather couch across from a man sitting in a leather recliner. A grand piano stood in the center of the room, breathing in the only light from the windows. Roxas stood there straight-faced and slowly clenched his hands into fists when he saw the two people sitting on the couch. He could feel blood pulsing through his healing wounds as his hand began to shake uncontrollably.

His blue eyes searched the facial features of the man and woman. Blue eyes stared back at him and slowly his hands rested at his side. "Good morning. Excuse my tardiness." The words seethed through his lips, barely reaching their ears. The two CEOs stood up and shook his hands with smiles on their faces. Roxas shook their hands firmly and business-like, none of the emotions damming up behind his expression reaching the nerves of his body. "Shall I play for you?" He asked indifferently. The two of them nodded gracefully as they stepped aside.

The music was steady as usual but inside Roxas was flushed with emotions. Those two people, he'd met them as a child. They were the same people in the photo they stood framed on his desk at his apartment. He'd never known their names. The pianist felt like breaking the piano. He wanted to break the one thing that had always kept him connected to their world. Finally, he couldn't bear it.

He yelled out in agony. He clutched his heart painfully, because the rush of memories never stopped. "Why'd you let me go?" He whispered as the three CEOs crowded around him once he fell to the ground.

The next thing he knew, Roxas was in a hospital bed. A flash of blonde appeared at his side, and long slender arms wrapped around him. The scent emitting from the person's light hair was so familiar and gentle. He could feel the person's tears hit his shirt and seep onto his skin. "Naminé?" He asked, uncertainly. The girl's blue eyes looked at him happily. Roxas could see her face was lined with tears and he gently stroked them away with him thumb.

"Roxas, I'm so glad you're awake! You've had us so worried! Even Mr. Kurosaki and Mrs. Takaya are still currently waiting for you to wake up. I think they're enjoying lunch right now; they should be up in a few minutes." Roxas scoffed at the idea of them staying at the hospital for him. Naminé glared at him for such rude behavior but Roxas did not back down either.

Roxas sat up from his hospital bed and turned to look at her. "I've met them before."

"What?" She whispered softly.

"Itsuki-san brought them over to attend one of my piano competitions." He explained in a soft tone. Naminé understood this; she knew he hated to talk about Itsuki who was a father figure to him. "They're my real parents." Roxas added after a few moments. Naminé's eyes widened.

"How'd you know?"

"I didn't understand it when I was a child, but when I think about it they are my parents. I didn't know they were the CEOs of the Kurosaki Group and Takaya Group until now."

The two of them remained silent until Naminé spoke up again. "They're both married and even have kids, Roxas. But those were arranged marriages. Maybe you're right; the world is a cruel place and especially the business world. It's difficult to have a marriage without a merge."

Roxas nodded solemnly. "Wait." Naminé looked up at him. "Do you have an arranged marriage?" His voice was monotone and indifferent. She immediately turned red and looked away, but Roxas' strong hands prevented her. "Tell me." His hands' grip loosened and they fell to his side.

"I do. But that doesn't mean I love him!"

Roxas laughed lightly and stoked her golden blonde hair softly. "I know. You're mine after all." Once again, Naminé turned a scarlet red and Roxas was reduced to laughing once again. The young artist knew that he was teasing her and began to hit his chest with her fists. Roxas still continued to laugh at her frustration and embarrassment until the two CEOs entered the room. The heir and heiress immediately made themselves presentable and sat up straight. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Naminé stood up and bowed her head gracefully. "I'm sorry to intrude. I'm Naminé Hiroshi, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"_The_ Naminé Hiroshi! It's such a pleasure to see you again! I haven't seen you since you were a child! I guess you don't remember me; you were only six at the time." Mrs. Takaya exclaimed to Naminé as she enveloped her in a hug. Roxas grinned at Naminé's displeasure and uncertainty. Finally Mrs. Takaya let her go but her hands remained on Naminé's shoulders. "I heard you're going to be the new CEO of the Hiroshi Group. That's so great!"

Roxas looked at Naminé in surprised to see an equal surprised expression. He composed himself quickly and smiled at Naminé. "Wow. Congratulations, Naminé." The blonde girl looked at him with concern filling her eyes. "Mrs. Takaya, Mr. Kurosaki, can you please give us a moment? A minute or two should be fine." The two adults nodded and left the room quickly. Once the door closed, Naminé settled at Roxas's side. She curled up into his chest and he held her closely. "I am really happy for you." He muttered.

"Roxas… That will make it all the more complicated!" She sat up and Roxas followed suit. He didn't let go of her, though. He continued to stroke her hair back soothingly to help her nerves. Naminé looked up to see his gentle smile and reassuring blue eyes. "Roxas…" She whispered into his chest.

The pianist sighed. "I know. Don't worry though, okay? If you are then," Roxas pulled on a chain around his neck, took it off, and placed it into Naminé's palm, "I hope you having this will make you have more faith in me." Naminé looked at the necklace intently. The chain was silver and a pure white crystal rested in the middle of two small, round, black rocks.

"It's beautiful." She whispered. Roxas smiled proudly.

"It was a gift… from Itsuki-san." Naminé looked up at him in surprise. Roxas merely smiled at it and then at her. "If you really trust me, take it. Because I trust you to take care of it." Naminé nodded slowly and handed it back to Roxas so he could put it on. He marveled at how wonderful it looked on her and how happily she wore it, unlike how he'd stuffed it under his shirts so no one would see.

Time past by quickly and the two CEOs entered the room again and took a seat. Naminé was currently sitting on Roxas's hospital bed with a gentle smile on her face. Roxas looked at the two CEOs and shook their hands formally. "I'm sorry we have to meet here. I'm sure you'd prefer somewhere more formal."

Mr. Kurosaki stood up from his chair. "Enough apologies, Roxas!" The high school students were shocked and even the man himself was shocked at his actions. He knew he could not take back his mistakes and pressed further on. "Mr. Hikari, I'd appreciate it if you didn't waste my time." Roxas nodded understandingly.

"What was this meeting for? As you know, these unfortunate circumstances have caused me to waste precious time at the hospital but nothing stopped you from rescheduling. Your agenda isn't too filled to arrange another meeting for tomorrow." Roxas responded seriously. The gentle blue eyes that he'd used to look at Naminé with were gone and vacant. The man was lost for words after listening to Roxas.

Roxas wasn't finished. All of his emotions began to be forced out into the open. "Why? Why did you suddenly have to reappear?"

"Roxas," Mrs. Takaya whispered. Naminé didn't make a motion to stop him. She knew that if he had to suffer with those questions then she'd be hurting him more than helping him, besides, she needed to trust his judgment. "You wouldn't understand."

His head turned sharply to the female CEO's direction. "What the hell would you know?! You don't know anything about me!"

The woman remained as frozen as the man. Naminé clutched onto Roxas's curled up fist. She stood up in front of them. "I'm not very sure about what your circumstance entailed. But I'd like to find out. Would you mind spending a few minutes with me, Mrs. Takaya?"

"Of course not."

"I'll come with you. It'd be best to hear everything. Please excuse us." Mr. Kurosaki interjected.

Roxas waved his hand in dismissal and the two adults left, but grabbed Naminé's arm firmly. "You're not off the hook, Naminé. I don't know what you're up to, and I trust you to not do anything stupid. But please," Roxas looked at her with pleading eyes, "Don't get yourself in too much of my darkness where I can't save you."

Naminé stopped to look at him. Her face turned into a bright smile. "I'll be fine. You trust me right?"

The teen chuckled. "Didn't I already say that? Fine. Go ahead, just hurry back."

'Of course.' She mouthed, before closing the door. Naminé followed the adults to the small café located in the hospital. She sat in between the two CEOs and when the coffee she ordered arrived handed them to the two guests. "Mrs. Takaya, Mr. Kurosaki, I need you to know something first." The two of them leaned in closer to her. "Roxas doesn't hate either one of you. I think what he hates is the thought of being abandoned." The two of them remained silent while Naminé continued. "I really like Roxas, and I know for a fact that he's just torn over his past. He's had it rough since he was in the orphanage." When she said this, her hand clutched the Roxas's necklace.

"I don't see a reason why he should hate me." Mrs. Takaya told Naminé. "I'm not his mother. Though he can hate Nobuo all he wants."

Naminé looked at the man with wide-eyes. "So you are his father. But why—" Her voice trailed off as her eyes lingered upon the woman. Mr. Kurosaki licked his lips and ran his hands through his short blonde hair. That was when she noticed how weary his eyes looked.

Mr. Kurosaki turned to Mrs. Takaya, "Can you leave? It'd be best to hear from someone who went through it." The woman complied easily and left the table, leaving only the young teen and man at the café. Then he focused his attention on Naminé. "It was never our intention for Roxas to have to go through such hardships… It was never our intention for him to be born." Naminé stared at him with an open mouth. Nobuo continued, "We weren't supposed to fall in love. When I met Kaede, we were both high school students trying to figure out who we wanted to be and how to rise above other businesses.

"Our parents introduced us at the annual ball. Kaede shook my hand firmly with a business smile while she stood next to her fiancé and I stood next to my fiancée. I never liked my fiancée, and escaped when another heir had asked her to dance. I was walking towards the balcony when I heard a girl crying. I was shocked to see it was Kaede Takaya. She was crying under the stone bench I was aiming to sit at. When I asked her what happened, she jumped into my arms and continued to cry. It was shocking that the next CEO of the Takaya Group would show her emotions so quickly and to another potential heir nonetheless.

"I found out that her fiancé was drunk and nearly about to rape her. I couldn't believe this feeling that surged up inside of me, and departed to look for Kaede's fiancé. When I found him, he was nearly about to hurt another girl and I ran towards him nearly crashing both of our bodies into a glass statue. The girl ran to get help and I was about to be thrown off a ledge when help arrived." Nobuo continued. Naminé remembered how quickly Roxas was there to save her. He immediately ran at her brother despite knowing it had nothing to do with him; now she knew where his protective spirit came from.

"Their engagement wasn't broken however, but Kaede wished to see me afterwards. My father was proud of me; the Takaya Group and Harada Group wanted to do business with us because of my heroic acts. While I was on my father's good side, I could see Kaede all I wanted. I took her on many dates and she was usually the one to accompany me instead of my fiancée to business functions. I didn't know it until I became already so close to her, that I loved her. When we found out she was pregnant with my child, her family was able to keep it a secret with also the help of mine. They had expressed the fact the child born would either be killed or placed for adoption. You can see that we immediately placed him up for adoption. We forgot that ever happened and got married to the people our parents chose. I was blessed with two sons and a daughter, while she had a son and a daughter.

"Years later when my eldest son asked to play the piano, I agreed. The teacher we chose was famous but also very kind. His name was Yamato Itsuki." Naminé immediately knew this was the Itsuki-san Roxas had looked up to. "He and I spoke with each other after my son's lessons until he had to leave to greet his son once he returned home from school. He also began to tell of his other 'son' he couldn't adopt because Ansem Hikari had already chosen to the boy as his heir. But until then, him and his son, Kouichi, would pick him up from the orphanage and spend time with him. I wondered what type of boy Ansem Hikari would want to adopt.

"Itsuki explained that just after six months of learning how to play the piano, the boy was good enough to play on par with himself. Then he showed me a photo of his family and I was surprised to see a boy that closely resembled Kaede and myself. He had Kaede's blue eyes and my blonde hair. I immediately asked if I could see the boy. Itsuki agreed and invited both Kaede and me to the piano competition he would be participating in. When we went there, Kaede was so shocked to see our son standing there happily dressed in concert attire doing something he loved. She wanted to be a part of it so much and when she confronted me with the idea of bringing Roxas into our lives as our son, I ultimately refused her. That broke her heart."

Nobuo's eyes were saddened. "Then she killed herself. But not without leaving a hefty sum of money for a Mr. Roxas Hikari. Then her sister, Akane, took over. They were twins, it wasn't a mystery to as why Roxas thought she was his mother. Nobody knows about this, except for our parents. My wife and children do not know that Roxas Hikari is my biological son, same with Kaede's family. You cannot tell anyone of this, including Roxas."

"I-I understand. Thank you for telling me this. I'm sorry if I brought up things that are painful for you." Naminé bowed her head deeply.

"Of course not. You must truly love Roxas. I'll be looking forward to your wedding."

Naminé blushed deeply and began to flail her arms around in denial. "Roxas doesn't like me that much! Um, please excuse me. I should go back to Roxas, now…"

Nobuo laughed lightly. Naminé couldn't help but notice the resemblance between his laugh and Roxas's. They both had the same happy feeling that lingered. "Of course. I'll arrange for another meeting later this week. Also, here's my number if you need to contact me or if Roxas should ask for me. And about Akane's exclamation, both she and Kaede have met you before but you were a child. Very cute, unless I'm mistaken Kaede's son is your fiancé?"

"That's not it! He's one of the candidates. In the end, my parents will choose but they will wait to see how each one of their family's businesses fare."

"I see. Best of luck, Naminé." Nobuo stood up and shook her hand before departing.

The blonde girl smiled brightly at the disappearing figure. Those two had a lot of things that were similar. As she walked to the elevator to Roxas's room, she could feel a cold aura pass her and a sinister glare directed at her. Naminé turned her head slowly and saw the disappearing figure that was Ansem Hikari. She became worried and ran to the elevator quickly pushing the button before anyone else could get in.

She ran into Roxas's room and saw the hospital bed empty. "Roxas!" She shouted wheeling around and slapping the teen in the face in the process. Naminé pulled back her hand and saw Roxas rubbing his cheek.

"Ow." He muttered. Naminé ran into his arms and hugged him tightly. "Scared you? Don't worry about my father, alright? He just came to tell me that Mrs. Takaya has arranged another meeting with me next week."

"I see." Naminé said softly. Roxas tilted her chin to face him. Their blue eyes clashed.

"I won't ask what happened. I just wish you would smile." He told her sincerely with one of his kinder smiles. Roxas turned to the door and exited the room. Naminé looked down and sighed deeply. She knew she wasn't supposed to tell Roxas, but she couldn't deny that she really wanted to.

Naminé ran after him and caught the sleeve of his jacket. Roxas looked down at her bright grin. He laughed lightly and caught her hand in his. She swung their arms into the air happily as they walked back _home_.

Hayner and Olette greeted their two friends at the gates to the dorms. "Hey, we're just about to leave. Glad to see you're back on your feet again though!" Hayner said cheerfully.

Roxas laughed. "Yeah. Me too." The blonde couple waved goodbye but right then Naminé's cell phone rang. The pianist turned to her and nodded as if to excuse her.

"Father?!" Naminé shouted in surprise. Roxas sharply turned to look at her.

_"Are you so surprised?"_

"I'm not…" Her voice trailed off. "What do I owe this **pleasure**?"

She could hear her father's sadistic chuckle on the other line. _"I just wanted to tell you that we've arranged for your fiancé candidates to meet with you at the charity ball tonight. I believe it's time we've gotten everything straightened out concerning your love life. Your mother sent you a new ball gown. Oh, and before I forget, ask that Hikari boy if he will be attending."_

"You mean Roxas." Naminé interjected firmly. "Fine." She turned to Roxas and asked, "Are you attending the charity ball tonight?"

Roxas nodded slowly. "I'm playing. I heard your art's going to be on display." He laughed when he saw a light pink hue cover his girlfriend's face. "I hope I can steal you away for a few minutes or at least one song."

"Yeah…" She mumbled remembering her suitors would be coming to meet her. "He is."

"_That's not surprising. Just wondering if the rumors were true." _Her father's voice held in a laugh.

"He's going to be playing the piano, I don't think that's such a rumor."

"_Marvelous musician, I've heard. I must leave for a meeting, but we look forward to seeing you at the ball. We'll arrange for Shigure to pick you up at 6:00."_

Naminé hung up with a sigh and began to dial another number. She looked at Roxas apologetically. "It's no problem, Naminé." He kissed her forehead but not before taking a quick glance at the caller id. _Nobuo Kurosaki_?! "See you at the ball." He muttered waving the back of his hands.

Naminé grinned brightly and hugged her cell phone to her chest. Her boyfriend was the best. She pressed send and held the phone to her ear. "Mr. Kurosaki, I know it's soon, but do you mind if I just ask you a few quick questions?"

Nobuo quirked up an eyebrow as he listened to the young high school student's voice at his office. He'd just exited a meeting and was surprised to hear the girl's cheerful voice after such a quick moment of separation. But he couldn't help but smile. The girl was so much like his late love. The personality and smile always warmed his heart and made him want to smile and be happy just like her. "Of course not." He replied.

"I wanted to know about what Mrs. Takaya, Roxas's mother, left for him. Money isn't a problem for Roxas and she knew that… My father, he told me that there was a rumor being spread about Roxas. What's going to happen at the charity ball tonight?!"

The older man sighed. Such a quick girl, that was another trait she shared with Kaede. "Naminé, you're just as quick as his mother on those things. But you're right. There is a rumor and whether or not only Roxas was invited was part of it. That ball is being thrown by the Takaya Group." Naminé was surprised but simply remained quiet and did not interrupt. "Also, this year something new will happen. The next CEO was chosen by the two current and previous CEOs: Kaede Takaya and Akane Takaya."

"Wait… Does that mean—"

Nobuo could hear the surprise in Naminé's voice. "Yes. Kaede Takaya didn't just leave Roxas with money, she wanted to give him what he rightfully deserved being part of the Takaya Group. She wanted to make him heir instead of her own children. Currently the scandal is being kept secret within the CEOs and partnerships. Yet no one has any clue as to who the father is. Kaede thought it out well. Her son is currently the next CEO of the Hikari Group and well established within the business world. Anyone who joined the Takaya Group then would flourish with Roxas taking the reigns. Versus against her own children, they are young and immature. To merge with two kids who don't know the meaning of business would be suicide, but Roxas has experience. Nobody would question this.

"He's not completely secured as the next CEO of the Takaya Group. They also are letting Akane choose her heir. She has no children and would choose one of her sister's darlings over Roxas out of spite. Doing this earlier would have caused a rough time for Roxas, but she carefully planned this in where most of his life he has been sheltered with the fact he would run the Hikari Group eventually. But now she's also able to give him what his birth entitled him to: becoming the successor to the Takaya Group. Lucky him, getting to choose."

"But wait. What about Mrs. Takaya's legitimate children?"

Nobuo laughed lightly. The girl wondered about everyone's happiness. "Against Roxas, both of them will lose. Her oldest son is ten months younger than Roxas. Even with only ten months difference, Roxas learned more and much more quickly. That's why people would choose an illegitimate child rather than a legitimate. People wouldn't have as much respect for an illegitimate but Roxas has the ability to make up for that."

Naminé knew Roxas was different. He lived a different life, but in terms of what type of person he was, he would be considered as every girl's dream boy if he'd act kind to everyone. "I see. Roxas— Roxas is really something." Nobuo could sense the sadness in her voice.

"He is. But don't think you aren't. We'll meet again at the ball so save some of the conversation for later, okay?"

"Yes, Mr. Kurosaki."

"Good girl." Nobuo muttered hanging up.

Naminé sighed deeply. _This was going to be one __**hell**__ of a party._

* * *

That evening Naminé dressed in her baby blue ball gown. Kairi and Olette stepped away from their friend's hair so she could get a good look in the mirror. Naminé's hair was slightly wavy and trimmed. The two girls saw her off as Shigure stood at the front of her dorm waiting. "Good evening, Madame Naminé. I hope everything has been going well."

The girl smiled at her butler warmly. "Thank you, Shigure. It's been hectic, that's for sure."

"I see. I could say the same thing for myself. After that horrible scandal with your brother, the girl is currently staying in the manor being tended to. Most likely they'll get married or the girl will act as his mistress. Very distressful for both Master and Mistress, they both need to keep this a secret. There's also the matter of who'd become heir, because Madame will also have children and she will be the next CEO."

"Father told me, he's also arranged for also the candidates to attend. Who's performing, anyways?"

Shigure burst out into laughter as he opened the door. "An orchestra but also a band, the vocalist is famous. But I can't remember the name, sorry Madame."

Naminé shook her head, "No. I'll go see later."

When they arrived, she bid goodbye to her servant and headed inside. The room was marvelous and many chandeliers hung from the ceiling and the floor was a beautiful marble. Large windows were draped with long golden curtains made out of the finest silk. A large, white staircase stood in front of her separating two halls to walk to the ballroom. At the other end of the ballroom a large orchestra was playing and many famous business people stood talking. She spotted her parents and Tamaki on the second floor speaking with Akane Takaya.

She went to the ballroom and could easily find Nobuo Kurosaki speaking to a teen her age. He had long black hair that went to his shoulders and curled at the ends. He wore a black suit and a purple tie, formal attire. Naminé ran across the dance floor to greet Nobuo, "Mr. Kurosaki!"

Nobuo Kurosaki stood talking to Hiro Takaya, his love's son. "Naminé Hiroshi?" Hiro asked unsurely.

The blonde artist stopped in her tracks and quirked an eyebrow up to look at him, "Do I know you?"

"I'm your fiancé. Hiro Takaya, Beautiful." He took her hand and lightly placed a kiss.

Nobuo glared at the boy. The black haired boy just looked at him innocently and smoothly put his arm over Naminé's shoulders. She tried to shrug off his arm but he was now clutching her bare shoulder. Right then as if someone knew she was in trouble, the orchestra music stopped and was interrupted by the band Shigure had mentioned.

"One! Two! Three! Four!" The person's familiar voice rang in my ears. I wheeled around and away from Hiro. There stood Roxas, in a black suit but the jacket was unbuttoned while his tie hung loosely around his neck and his sleeves were rolled up, Sora, his guitar slung around and in his hands, Axel holding a bright red base, and Hayner in the back with drums.

All of the girls swooned at the sight of Roxas. The rest were cute, but not rich so they didn't pay any attention.

_Everything you say or do  
I am always there for you  
Whether you're laughing or you're screaming  
No one else could take your place  
I will always see your face  
When I'm awake and when I'm dreaming_

_Cause I believe there's a place for you and me in this crazy world_

_If you come running back to me I'll be here waiting  
Cause I still believe in a love worth saving  
If you could see the sad look on my face  
You'd be in your car headed back to my place  
Come back to me, I'll be here waiting  
Cause I'm on my knees and my love's not fading  
If you could see the sad look on my face  
You'd be in your car headed back to my place_

_I can't stand to watch you go  
Cause in my head deep down I know  
I don't wanna live without you  
I love the way we stay up late  
The way you laugh at your mistakes  
I love everything about you_

_Cause I believe there's a place for you and me in this crazy world_

_If you come running back to me I'll be here waiting  
Cause I still believe in a love worth saving  
If you could see the sad look on my face  
You'd be in your car headed back to my place  
Come back to me, I'll be here waiting  
Cause I'm on my knees and my love's not fading  
If you could see the sad look on my face  
You'd be in your car headed back to my place_

_No, don't wanna let you go  
Girl, you belong in my heart, in my arms, in my bed  
Girl, quit messing with my head  
Say that you're coming back to stay right here with me_

_If you come running back to me I'll be here waiting  
Cause I still believe in a love worth saving  
If you could see the sad look on my face  
You'd be in your car headed back to my place  
Come back to me, I'll be here waiting  
Cause I'm on my knees and my love's not fading  
If you could see the sad look on my face  
You'd be in your car headed back to my place  
_

Roxas was a rock star. He was emotional when he sang and acted so confidently. It was amazing to watch. All of the CEOs and business people all turned in his direction drawn by his voice. He loved to play the piano and singing just seemed to help him let out his emotions. Kairi had helped him write the songs he would sing and then she also wrote the next few songs Sora would play with just instrumentals.

When he struck the last chord everyone cheered loudly. Roxas grinned and took a bow. He pulled the microphone closer, "Good evening everyone. I'm hoping you're all having a good time. I'm Roxas Hikari and I'm the vocalist. The guitarist is Sora Asakura, our base player is Axel Narita, and our drummer is Hayner Edomae. That song was 'Come Back to Me' and this is my last song, the band will continue playing. Thank you." The audience clapped politely and Roxas turned to look at Sora, Axel, and Hayner. Sora and Axel moved out of the way and pushed a large grand piano to the center. Sora grabbed an acoustic guitar and when Roxas sat down gave a thumbs-up.

Roxas began to play softly and sang into the microphone.

_You're a falling star, You're the get away car.  
You're the line in the sand when I go too far.  
You're the swimming pool, on an August day.  
And you're the perfect thing to see._

_And you play your card, but it's kinda cute.  
Ah, when you smile at me you know exactly what you do.  
Baby, don't pretend, that you don't know it's true.  
Cause you can see it when I look at you.  
_

He threw his head back and closed his eyes.

_  
And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times  
It's you, it's you, _

_You make me sing.  
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything._

_You're a carousel, you're a wishing well,  
And you light me up, when you ring my bell.  
You're a mystery, you're from outer space,  
You're every minute of my everyday.  
_

Roxas smiled softly and continued to play. He turned his head slightly in Naminé's direction and continued to sing.

_And I can't believe, uh that I'm your man,  
And I get to kiss you baby just because I can.  
Whatever comes our way, ah we'll see it through,  
And you know that's what our love can do. _

_And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times  
It's you, it's you, You make me sing  
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything._

_So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La  
So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La_

_And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times  
It's you, it's you, You make me sing.  
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.  
You're every song, and I sing along.  
Cause you're my everything.  
yeah, yeah_

_So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La  
So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La_

All of the girls scream and their corporate fathers all laughed. The ballroom filled with applause and even those on the second floor clapped loudly enough that Roxas could hear it. The blonde pianist stood up tall and took a bow.

"Marvelous!"

"Such a sweet boy!"

"Very talented, isn't he?"

"His parents must be proud."

Naminé applauded loudly and Nobuo couldn't help but laugh. His son just stole every girl's heart in the room. Roxas remained on the stage until the applause ended and disappeared to avoid any of his new fans. Nobuo saw Roxas approach and greeted him with a smile, "Well done!"

His girlfriend ran to his side and away from her fiancé so she could shower Roxas with praise. "Thank you, Mr. Kurosaki. Thanks Naminé. Actually, I heard there's going to be a couple of announcements tonight, backstage. Something about another inheritance?"

Immediately Naminé's enthusiasm fell. "Yeah…" She whispered. "Um, hey wanna dance?" Roxas quirked an eyebrow and looked at her carefully with his analyzing blue orbs. She didn't dare look at him. He nodded slowly, but as he was about to reach for her hand, Hiro Takaya's grabbed it quickly. "Hiro!" She yelped in surprise.

"Dance with me." He stated more like a demand than question. "Fiancé, remember? I must have better privileges than the Hikari scum."

Roxas's eyes formed into a glare. Naminé was shocked and attempted to pull away, but found his grip too strong. Right then her parents suddenly appeared with bright smiles on their faces. Tamaki had departed away from them earlier. "It's nice to see you two are already getting along." Mr. Hiroshi said happily. Hiro took this chance to pull Naminé closer and could feel the Hikari heir's glare intensify.

"This is a misunderstanding, Father!" She tried to pull away from Hiro's strong grip. Naminé could see Roxas's knuckles turn white and his blue eyes glaring at Hiro.

Nobuo Kurosaki put a hand on his son's shoulder. Surprisingly, Roxas didn't retract his shoulder. "Now, now. They just said that they were going to announce something. Let's pay attention, at least for now." Hiro turned sharply to look at him and shrugged. He faced the stage and Akane Takaya stepped up with a letter tightly clutched in her hand. "Look, there's Akane."

The Japanese woman bowed to the crowd and spoke clearly, "This year, the Takaya Group is doing something different in where the previous CEOs get to choose who the successor will be. I have chosen, Hiro Takaya. There will be two candidates however. My sister, as you know, committed suicide but in a strange turn of events, in her will stated who she wanted as successor. They have taken this into account and her will shall be read as stated here."

Naminé held her breath and could feel Hiro's hand tensing on her shoulder. His eyes were wide with curiosity. "_As a final act, I approve Roxas Hikari as my successor for CEO of the Takaya Group. His inheritance also includes my stocks, other corporations, savings account, and personal belongings."_ Akane Takaya read slowly. Everyone turned to look at Roxas who stood with an expressionless face. The boy's mouth was dry and he was speechless. Most people knew Hiro would become the next CEO but to throw in Mr. Roxas Hikari, someone already predetermined, as heir to the Hikari Group, a powerful and rich company, was shocking. What was the explanation of choosing someone from another family and also, that was during the time it'd been written, was an orphan fated to be the Hikari's tool and successor?

"What was Kaede Takaya thinking?"

"Roxas Hikari, huh?"

"Such a scandal!"

"What's going to happen to the boy?"

Mumbles ran through the crowd. Roxas finally composed himself and asked calmly, "How long do I have?"

"Until both of you are 18." Akane replied.

The teen nodded and turned to look at Nobuo. "Can I speak with you?" Nobuo nodded slowly and the two blondes left to the balcony with people moving and making a clear path. Hiro Takaya just stood there shaking. How could _his_ mother do this to him?!

When both of them were inside his limo, Roxas pulled out a folded note from his pocket. He held it out to Nobuo and urged him to take it. "This was given to me personally with my invitation a week before tonight. This is part of my unstated inheritance." Nobuo took the note and unfolded it to reveal his past love's perfect handwriting.

_Dear Roxas,_

_I hope you are living the life you've always wanted. I pray for your happiness wherever you are. This may seem sudden and you may seem angry, but please forgive me. I'm your biological mother, Roxas. This must be a shocker for you. I was very surprised to see you again when you were a child. You were such a captivating boy with your bright smiles and unique piano playing. When I hugged you that day, I immediately regretted the moment I let them put you in an orphanage. But please forgive me, and also your father. We were both just high schoolers that met at a charity ball held every year. When he saved me, I fell in love with him and then one night we wanted to make our love clear. I wish he'd fought with me. I wanted to bring you back into our lives, but the minute your father rejected the idea I fell apart. I did not want you to be without what you rightfully deserved so as my last act, I have given you that. Please forgive your selfish mother. I love you Roxas, with all my heart._

_Kaede Takaya_

"That woman—she wanted to give me what I deserved and ended up dying! All because you placed duty over family!" Roxas shouted. Nobuo's hand trembled over every word he read. "She—she gave her life for me! That's not fair! Why did she have to die?!"

"I know." Nobuo said softly. "I've been unfair to you, Roxas. I'm sorry. So please, let me in your life now. I want to make up the lost time."

Roxas stopped for a moment. The limo had reached the Kurosaki Manor already and stood outside the gates. "I don't need you." He muttered, pressing a button and opening the other door. Nobuo merely nodded and shut the door on his way out. Once the limo had driven away, he quickly dialed the Sakurai Rikku.

* * *

The next morning Roxas had woken up with a rough shake. His blue eyes slowly opened to see a girl with blonde hair in braides. "Eh? Rikku?!" He jumped up and saw his cousin sitting on the edge of his bed. She had nearly fallen off, but maintained her composer as she handed him a fresh set of clothes. "Wha? What's happening?" Roxas demanded.

"Look outside Roxas." She told him grimly. The boy hesitated for a moment before slightly opening his curtains to see a crowd of photographers at the gates. All of security was standing in a firm line while several others pushed away persistent paparazzi. "I'm not here to screw around. They want answers and one even tried to break in with a gun. Not everyone approves of you as an heir to the Takaya Group. Some are really against it. We have to get you out of here."

The pianist's eyes widened. "What? No! Naminé—she…" His voice trailed off. Rikku shook her head again. Roxas's grip tightened around the set of clothes as his knuckles turned white. "Then how do you suppose I'm going to get out of here!"

"Nobuo Kurosaki has arranged for one of his 'men' to pick you up at the roof. A helicopter should be arriving in ten minutes. So hurry up! All of your belongings have already been collected when you were sleeping." Roxas glared at her and ran to get dressed. He hated to admit this, but Rikku was right. There were people that would want his blood and in the end someone that wasn't him could be hurt. He wouldn't allow that to happen.

After a few seconds, Roxas appeared in a blue graphic tee, jeans, and wearing black shades, "Let's go." When they arrived at the rooftop a helicopter hovered over them and let down a ladder. Roxas climbed on with a frown. "Rikku, take care of her." He muttered. He was shocked to see his friends bursting through the door by the time he was safely on yelling and all waving goodbye.

Naminé was trying her best to smile and wave until she finally shouted, "Hurry back!" Roxas felt his eyes tearing. He grinned back to hide his sadness and nodded. The helicopter fled away from the camera flashes. Naminé turned to look at Rikku and asked, "How long do you think?"

"A year… at the very least." She told Naminé softly. Naminé's tears that she held back, began to flood and stream down her cheeks.

_Hurry back!_

* * *

**Preview **

_Naminé sat in the lounge with Rikku and Kairi watching TV when a special news report came on. "Ansem Hikari is not the owner of the Hikari Group anymore! A person under the username 'I.M.' owns 60 percent of the company and is overthrowing it's previous owner. Who is this mysterious person?!"_

_A dark-haired boy smirked at the news and closed his laptop. "Hey! Hurry up Mamoru! We're going to miss the movie!" The teen laughed lightly and grabbed his coat before running to meet his friends._

_----_

_She felt herself bump into someone and saw dazzling blue eyes and long dark bangs. "Oh, um sorry. Didn't mean to bump into you." She muttered, picking up her books. The teen smiled and knelt down to grab the book near his foot. When he handed it to her, she got a good look at his dazzling smile. _

"_Thank you." Naminé said with a smile. She noticed he was wearing a white uniform, a music major. "I'm Naminé Hiroshi, are you new?" He nodded. "Pleased to meet you."_

_The new student laughed lightly. "The pleasure is all mine, Miss Hiroshi. I'm Mamoru Itsuki." __**Itsuki**__! "I'll be moving into the dorms starting today. I hope for a good year." Naminé nodded slowly. Mamoru smiled at her brightly and waved goodbye to her. She put her hand over her heart and felt the beats pulsating quickly. Was she beginning to forget Roxas? How did his laugh sound? How brightly did he smile? How did he hug her? How did that kiss feel? Most of all, was she beginning to like Mamoru Itsuki?_

* * *

**A/N: Very late, yeah, I know. School's rough. Sorry. But this is pretty long and I already have a good idea for the next chapter. Here's a quick review on what a crescendo and a fermata is: **

**Crescendos are signs that tell to make the music louder, and fermatas are notations in music that say to hold out a note longer than usual. REVIEW PLEASE!!!**


	6. The Major Side of the Musician

**Chapter 6: The Major Side of the Musician**

Summary:_Roxas was an outcast. He made it that way, and he never complained about it. He hid his own secrets only so that one person could find it, his reason for playing, and his heart. Roxas X Namin_é

Disclaimer**: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters.**

Naminé Hiroshi sat at her desk attending another one of her teacher's lectures about the history of art. Pence sat next to her, which was the same routine for a year. She had continued to live at the dorms despite her parents' disapproval. Her older brother's relationship with her was beginning to mend slowly as she constantly went to visit him and his wife and child. Rikku Sakurai, Roxas's cousin, hung with her and Kairi now. The seniors of last year were gone and the rest were all juniors now.

When the bell rang, Naminé stretched out her limbs and accompanied Pence to the cafeteria. Their friends sat at their usual table and Hayner and Olette held their lunches high over their heads for them. "Thanks Hayner, Olette!" The two art majors said happily as they took their lunches. Rikku moved over so Naminé could sit and Pence sat next to Riku. Selphie was so excited to tell them something new that she couldn't sit still.

"There's going to be a new student coming next week!" She said happily.

Kairi cocked her head in confusion to see why that was so great but then she also remembered something she heard. "Oh! I heard about that! Mr. Valentine, the new student teacher, was telling the class about him. He played a CD of the guy at this concert he performed at with his band. He's amazing! I get to duet with him too!"

Sora looked at Kairi worriedly. Naminé caught sight of this and giggled. "A-amazing?" Sora stuttered. Hayner looked at his girlfriend worriedly as well. An 'amazing' transfer student? Kairi and Olette looked at them in surprise. How could they ever think they would dump them for some new student? "Ah, sorry, but I mean, _amazing_?"

The redhead shook her head. "Here, I want you to listen to him." Kairi took out the CD player beside her and placed it on the table. She put in the CD and read the song name on the track list on the back. "This sold really well. Mr. Valentine had a hard time getting two more copies. Even though they are only students." Kairi added as she waved the CD in front of her friends' faces. "Learning to Fall."

The music rung through the cafeteria and everyone stopped at the sound of the CD. The lyrics rebounded off the wall and his voice was heard clearly. When the song ended everyone clapped. The music was amazing and Kairi pressed stop while holding the CD high in the air. "That's going to be some duet." Sora muttered. He sulked playfully while Kairi lightly punched his arm. Everyone laughed; it was good to know some things could remain happy.

After school, the girls headed back to the lounge and spread out among the room. Rikku was gazing over some economic book in the back while both Kairi and Naminé sat on the couch watching TV. The two girls watching TV laughed with the show until it suddenly stopped. A bright blue screen appeared saying 'special news report'.

"This may effect many workers today when something very surprising was announced. Ansem Hikari is not the owner of the Hikari Group anymore! A person under the username 'I.M.' owns 60 percent of the company and is overthrowing its previous owner. Who is this mysterious person?!" Naminé and Rikku were in shock when they saw the hidden faces of the Hikari family. The two blondes remained frozen as the clip was cut and the normal show resumed.

Rikku turned to Naminé, "Roxas… He might be coming home even later with this."

----------

In another city, a smile played on a dark-haired teen's lips. He glanced at the upper right hand corner of his screen where his username resided: "Itsuki Mamoru". When he heard the front door open and his friends entering his home, he closed his laptop quickly. "Hey! Hurry up Mamoru! We're going to miss the movie!" The teen laughed lightly and grabbed his coat as he ran to meet his friends.

"Geez, Mamoru! You take so long!" A light-colored haired girl said as she lightly punched his arm.

Mamoru smiled sheepishly. "Gomen ne Nanako-san." Mamoru's best friend, Naoto, patted Mamoru's shoulder sympathetically. He had the same tan shade of hair as his sister and was just as tall as his best friend. The two of them immediately became close once Mamoru had moved there and entered the same class as him, despite the fact they had opposite personalities. "Oh, where are Miyuki-san and Sayuri-san?"

Nanako thought for a moment before answering. "They're going to meet us at Tokyo Theater. Both of them had errands to run earlier. But hey, don't you two and Juushiro-senpai and Sado-kun have a concert later?" Naoto and Mamoru nodded. "Must be nice being celebrities!"

Naoto shook his head, "I like the money and all, but there's so much business to it!"

"Yeah! I'm the one doing all the business!" Mamoru shouted, punching Naoto in the chest. The light-haired teen clutched the injured area tightly before running after his best friend. Nanako sighed and quickly followed them. Because of this, they arrived in no time at all at the theater. Both boys were breathing heavily and using each other as support. "That was fun." Mamoru panted. Naoto grinned at him.

Suddenly they heard their names called out and looked up. Two girls ran towards them with beaming smiles. "Mamoru-kun! Naoto!" A girl with long black hair shouted out. The girl next to her was shorter and had short brown hair that reached her shoulders. "Why are you guys so sweaty in the middle of winter?" She asked them, curiously.

Naoto grinned at her, "Konnichiwa to you too, Miyuki." Miyuki Watanabe was not fooled. She punched Naoto in the stomach and the male's grin twitched in pain.

"Konnichiwa Miyuki-san, Sayuri-san. We were just getting a quick run, that's all." Mamoru responded with a smile. Miyuki raised a defiant eyebrow and shook her head with a frown. Finally Sayuri spoke up when the two dark-haired teens had continued their glaring and smiling.

"What are we watching?" She asked softly. Her voice was very pure and everyone turned to look at her.

Nanako was the first one to speak up, "That new action movie, Resident Evil: Extinction." She looked to the group for approvals and got nods from everyone except Sayuri. "You don't want to watch it, Sayu-chan?" She asked.

Sayuri looked like she was nearly trembling. Her voice stuttered, "I-is it s-scary?" Nanako scratched her cheek in thought. Miyuki put a comforting hand on Sayuri's shoulder. "Miyu-chan…"

Then Mamoru spoke up brightly, "I vote for no movies at all! I'd much rather spend the day at the Yuki Festival. There's a lot of rides and shows we can go to, there's some shops and restaurants and better yet, that's where our band is holding the concert so we can spend as much time there as we want. It'll be a good way to celebrate my…" His voice trailed off. He hated reminding himself that he'd be leaving back to Twilight Town.

Everyone remained silent but voted for his idea. Naoto knew what Mamoru was thinking. He knew that Mamoru honestly didn't want to leave everyone behind, but knew that he promised to return. They all understood this, but resented the fact and now the atmosphere was gloomy. As an act to save the day, Naoto punched Mamoru in the gut lightly and ran off. Mamoru was startled when he felt Naoto's fist in his stomach but grinned and began to chase after him. Finally everyone caught on and they all ran to the Yuki Festival.

After a few minutes of running, Naoto finally yelled out, "Hey! I see the Ferris wheel!" Once everybody caught up, nobody _couldn't_ see it. The large wheel was shaped in a snowflake and smaller ones hung out carrying passengers. Below the area was lit up with small buildings and tents for the occasion.

"Sugoi!" The group agreed and they continued running, when they got there they would go into a restaurant and heat themselves up. Then they would reminisce and go back outside to do what they did best, have fun.

They ran inside the nearest restaurant shivering. All three girls were wearing skirts and their jackets were light, the two guys were more prepared and wore different layers of clothing to keep them warm. "You guys okay?" Naoto asked as he slipped off his scarf. The girls nodded, but the guys knew they were frozen to the bone. It wasn't even night yet and they would be staying at least until eight, when their concert ended.

"Here." The two boys said simultaneously. Naoto held out his scarf and wool jacket while Mamoru held out his coat, scarf, and slipped out of his hoodie. The girls looked up at the males' beaming faces and took their clothes gratefully. Everything except for the scarves, were much too big on the girls. They understood the fact that the guys were much taller, but they never really understood how large was their body structure. Then when they had zipped up the jackets, the two guys enveloped them in a large hug. All the girls were flushed when they were let go and turned even a darker shade of red when the males continued to speak in their 'gentleman mode'. "You guys look so cute in our clothes. Are you guys comfortable enough to go?"

The girls began to stutter and the guys continued to smile magnificently. By now, all of the girls in the restaurant were now looking at them. "If you're not warm enough, then do you want to hold on to us?" Naoto and Mamoru could hear multiple sighs, but their friends didn't answer just in case of the outcome that would happen if they opened their mouths.

Finally Miyuki regained her composure. "Just go!" She shouted angrily. The two boys chuckled and swept the two frozen girls off their feet and into their hands. When they arrived at a bench in the small park, the boys set down Sayuri and Nanako gently. "You guys are such idiots!"

Naoto scratched the back of his head. "No need to be so angry, Miyuki. Neither of us knew you guys would be so… dazzled!"

"Urusai, Naoto!" Miyuki let out. "I hate you two!" Mamoru smiled sympathetically and stepped in front of Miyuki. She took a step back in surprise before adjusting a glare on her face.

He smiled gently. "Gomen." Mamoru lightly placed a kiss on the top of Miyuki's head. The two other girls woke up early enough to see the action and gasped. Miyuki was blushing furiously and Naoto laughed loudly. "Ah… It's been a while since I've kissed someone." Mamoru put his hand at the back of his head. "Do you forgive us?" He asked sincerely.

Miyuki looked away from him and responded softly, "Yeah. I forgive you two bakas." Mamoru grinned and they began to walk into the festival.

The five of them began to visit different stores and the two boys waited patiently whenever the girls found a pile of clothes they wanted to try on. Mamoru and Naoto waved to the three other members of their group with a smile when they disappeared into the dressing room. The tan-haired teen looked at his best friend's tired expression. "Be honest, Mamoru."

The vocalist looked up at his classmate. "How'd you know?"

Naoto grinned. "I'm your best friend in this town. I don't know where you really belong, but that doesn't matter because I know you well enough."

Mamoru smiled sincerely. "Everything, everything else has been real. I've never lied about my feelings. But honestly… I've lied about everything else. My name is Roxas Hikari. I moved here after this huge scandal was released for my safety. I changed my appearance almost entirely and lied to you guys about a lot of things. I'm sorry." Naoto looked at his best friend and shook his head.

"You're still my best friend. No matter what, and don't worry. We can understand your situation." Naoto put a comforting hand on Roxas' shoulder. The Hikari closed his eyes and leaned against the similar frame of his friend. "We're here for you."

When the girls saw Roxas resting against Naoto they were more than confused. "Male bonding! Male bonding!" Naoto yelled out in English to ease their confusion. "But, Mamoru has something to tell you all!" He said when they had squeezed into one gondola at the Ferris wheel.

Roxas' eyes were wide and in shock. All the girls were looking at him and Naoto gave him a discreet thumbs-up. "Ah—um, well… My real name isn't Itsuki Mamoru. It's Roxas Hikari." All of the girls' jaws dropped. "Hontou gomenasai. I never meant to deceive you… Every memory and feeling, the fact you were my friends made me truly happy. I'd never give that up."

Miyuki was the first one to respond. "Daijoubu, Mamoru-kun. It's okay if I still call you that? I mean, it'd be best if you want to keep your identity a secret…" Roxas smiled brightly and nodded. Sayuri smiled at him gently and clutched the jacket he had lent her. Roxas caught sight of this and knew it was her way of showing acceptance.

After the ride was finished they stretched their limbs out in front of the stage their band would play at. It was already dark and the temperature had dropped even lower. "Yo!" They heard someone shout. Everyone turned around and saw five older people approaching them.

"It's the student teachers!" Nanako exclaimed. A bright redhead waved at them coolly. "Tifa-sensei! Aerith-sensei!"

A longhaired girl and a girl with her hair in a long braid smiled. "Miyagi-san and Watanabe-san, are you two enjoying the festival?" Tifa asked. She watched her two pupils beam and nod. The other girl was currently talking to Axel; she must've been the one he had told them about in the teacher's lounge one day when they were talking about their students. The two girls in front of her were exceptional actresses, but were true to themselves and their friends. "Mind introducing your friends?"

"Of course not!" Nanako exclaimed. She pulled her twin to her side. "This is my twin brother, Naoto."

"I have him and this one right here." Leon spoke up, grabbing Roxas by the collar. Roxas steadied himself and bowed to Tifa. "Two of the best."

Roxas grinned. "I'm Itsuki Mamoru. I'm the vocalist for Naoto's and my band. I can only sing though."

Sayuri shook her head. "He's actually a really amazing pianist. He won the piano competition again this year!" Axel turned towards his student. It was new to see her so bright and lively with her friends. She was a great artist, but much too quiet and usually expressed her emotions through painting. "You should listen to him, Axel-sensei! You'll be blown away!"

Axel laughed lightly. "I'll be looking forward to it, Itsuki-kun. But from what I heard that the Mimura Piano Competition is really extreme here. It's hard to win."

The vocalist shrugged. Naoto put a hand on his shoulder and looked at Axel. "He's great. But hey, do you guys want to join us?"

Leon looked at his pupil suspiciously. "No thanks. We'll go check out your band though. Valentine's been harassing the kids back in Twilight Town about you guys." Roxas looked up at his music teacher. Any news from Twilight Town was the greatest gift he could've received next to his friends. He forced a laugh and scratched the back of his head. "Oh," Leon started noticing how thinly dressed his students were, "Aren't you two cold?" The two male teens looked at each other and shook their heads.

"The girls need it more than we do." Roxas responded calmly.

Cloud nodded approvingly. Naoto caught sight of this and beamed. They all bowed politely and left to another destination. "Cloud-sensei is big on proper etiquette." Naoto explained to the girls. "Mamoru and I usually go there after school to talk with him and we learned how important being gentlemen was to him." All the girls stopped for a moment to look at each other finally realizing when the boys had become such ladies men. When the males had noticed they had fallen behind they waited patiently, and the girls could only think what type of person Cloud was after school.

They headed into a small coffee shop and the aroma of the freshly ground beans filled their nostrils. "Hey, we'll go get the coffee, you guys. You can sit down and warm up." Sayuri said to them. Naoto and Roxas shrugged and found a table that'd fit five people and sat down. The girls went to order the coffee and they all took a peek behind them at the two teens that seemed to command the attention of the female population. "Those guys really turned out well. Naoto-kun never seemed to look this great before."

"I know! It's like my brother has done a 180. I think it's because of Mamoru. Mamoru already had the skills since he is, well _Roxas Hikari_, and it probably just rubbed off of him." Nanako added.

Miyuki hid a smile. "Maybe. Don't you have any hopes for your brother, Nanako?" The tan-haired woman shook her head and all three of them began to laugh. The three girls ordered the coffee and went back to their table to see it surrounded by girls. Roxas looked uncomfortable and Naoto looked like he was about to punch someone. "Hey! Those are our guys!" Miyuki shouted. The girls immediately dispersed and the two males heaved a sigh of relief.

Roxas looked up at her with his clear blue eyes and smiled. "Thank you." He said in his perfect English. Miyuki smiled back and waited for the boys to scoot over before setting down the coffee and sitting down. They spoke warmly about the year, barely even touching their coffee, as they were too absorbed with the conversation to drink. Naoto stood up and held his full coffee cup.

"I'd like to propose a farewell toast! To my best friend, Mamoru Roxas Hikari Itsuki, who's been a great friend and stood beside us leaving us with memories we will never forget." Everyone held up their cup and took a gulp, letting the steaming coffee run down their throats. "Let's finish up and head outside." They all agreed and quickly drank the warm liquid before walking outside the coffee shop

Sayuri and Nanako stretched their arms and yawned. Night had fallen and snow began to slowly drift from the sky. Roxas and Naoto stuffed their hands into their jean pockets, looking to the girls for direction. Similar to the coffee shop, girls (even with their dates) had stopped momentarily to look at the two boys whose smiles let out a small cloud of breath and with wet hair covering their faces. Said boys didn't even pay any attention to the ogling girls and remained in their handsome world, laughing and joking as if only those two were around. "I really wish you'd girls would choose a place with less females around." Roxas whispered as girls began to inch towards him and Naoto. The male's best friend readily agreed.

"Then why don't Naoto-kun and Mamoru-kun go to a _male_-oriented store?" Sayuri suggested. Roxas and Naoto shrugged, leaving with a wave, and headed out the door. Sayuri watched as the girls' expressions dropped and they resumed their shopping.

The two boys shivered as they were attacked by a cold wind and walked into the closest store. "What did you get the girls for Christmas?" Naoto asked his friend.

"Bracelets." He responded simply. Roxas beckoned to the clerk and pointed to a pair of gold necklaces, one with a heart locket and one with a key. "Can I see it?" The clerk was an old man who looked very well trained in the quality of minerals. He nodded and handed him both of the necklaces gently on a cloth. Roxas smiled, "Thanks."

Naoto bent down closer to take a look and truly saw the complexity of the heart and key. "Who's the lucky girl, huh Roxas?" He whispered into his ear. Roxas turned sharply at his friend with a fierce glare. Naoto grinned as if nothing was wrong and leaned against the wall coolly as Roxas left to pay for the necklaces.

When the girls had finished shopping, the boys had disappeared and neither of them would answer their cell phones. They ran outside in search of them, but easily spotted them at a nearby jewelry shop talking to a male clerk. The two boys waved to all of their female fans in the room and left the store greeted by their female companions. Roxas glanced at his watch and looked at Naoto in the eyes. Sayuri watched this and saw them nod.

"Hey, we have to go somewhere to meet with Sado and Juushiro-senpai, so we'll see you at the concert. Ja ne." They waved quickly and began to run towards the stage. When they arrived two teens wearing identical uniforms waved to them with bright smiles on their faces. Sado ran his hand through his brown hair in frustration at the freezing temperatures and shivered. Roxas exited the dressing room under the stage and pulled his tie tighter. The four males dressed very formally; Roxas wore all black except for his white tie, Naoto changed into a casual olive long sleeved shirt, faded jeans, and a brown suede jacket, Juushiro was already wearing a light blue dress shirt and black slacks, while Sado wore a striped polo and jeans.

Roxas spotted his senior, as he was about to go on stage and put a hand on Juushiro's shoulder before smiling. "I'll be going now, Juushiro-senpai."

The third-year smiled and nodded. "Final concert, so give it your all Mamoru-kouhai."

The pianist turned around before going and sitting in front of a grand piano. He slipped on his tattered gloves and placed his hands on the keys. His friends and fans were already seated and applauded loudly at the sight of the famous vocalist. Roxas grinned under the spotlight before he began to play one of his favorite songs,_Revolutionary_.

His fingers trailed across the keys as he kept his head low to avoid any gazing eyes. Each note seemed to stab the music, as it got louder, but slowly softened heart-wrenching melody. He slammed his hand down four times consecutively before lifting his head and letting out the breath he had held in. There was a still silence before loud applause at the teen's obvious skill. Sado, the band's drummer, shook his head slowly. "Itsuki-kun should hold back a bit, don't you think? He's such a show off, huh Senpai?"

"No he isn't. He needs the piano to really let out his emotions. It's the closest thing he has to _her_." Juushiro muttered before turning his back. Sado stood frozen by his senior's words. The older teen walked away coolly leaving his junior alone in his wake. Naoto watched from a corner and sighed inwardly at how tactless Sado was.

Namida Juushiro was their oldest band member. Before they had recruited him, Naoto had done some research and found out that he was actually forced to repeat a year. As a 10th grader, he was his class's representative, popular, and had a wonderful girlfriend who had truly loved him with all of her heart. The next year, they unexpectedly broke up and at the same time, Juushiro had been struck with a fatal illness that would eventually kill him. Because of that, he was hospitalized for most of the school year and had to repeat 11th grade. He did not let it affect his school performance when he repeated that year. He had commanded the respect of the rest of the student body, and despite the fact he was in 11th grade was elected student council president.

His girlfriend had not given up on him either. She knew he only wished for her happiness and chose to set her apart. However, Namida Juushiro refused to let her back into his heart, fully knowing that he would die in the next two years, because of that fact did he chose to use all of the energy he had to live as best as he could. So he hurt her even more so that she would leave him forever and he could die in peace knowing she would be happy. Naoto could feel the sadness in his playing when he had watched him. But his music had changed so much during the time they were a band, Roxas had recognized the hidden self-pity. He had wanted to change it, because Roxas couldn't change himself.

Naoto understood the complex relationship that Roxas had with Juushiro immediately; even during the time Roxas was 'Mamoru'. _Protect_, was the one thing his best friend believed that he couldn't do. Now that he knew 'Mamoru' was a pseudonym, he could understand the meaning behind the name.

By then, Roxas had finished his final song as a pianist and he stood up with a smile and bowed to his fans. "Everyone, this is our final concert since I'll be moving to Twilight Town. I would really like to thank a lot of people here and all of my fans. Arigato." Roxas bowed to the audience before grabbing his guitar and everyone began to clap loudly. Naoto took a breath and joined Roxas on stage, giving his best friend a high-five and a quick smile. Juushiro was already stood across the stage holding his base from him while Sado sat at his drums that were on a platform. "Ichi! Ni! San! Shi!" They began to play though their series of songs finally taking a break for the last song.

"Good thing we have Itsuki." Sado said before taking a large gulp of water. He took a breath and continued, "I mean, he can hit the notes and sing without an accent. Most of the songs are by him and written in English, then again."

Juushiro nodded. "The last song is in Japanese though, isn't it?" He asked Roxas. Roxas nodded slowly. This was the only Japanese song he wrote. The final song was almost like his splitting feelings between the one he loved and trying to figure out what was right and wrong, but also to show that Tokyo was his second home and he knew he could always come back and feel at peace. That was the reason he wanted to do that song last, so at the very end people would know his feelings. "Well this is the first time you'll be singing in Japanese so do your best, Kouhai."

They stepped back on stage and there was a heavier feeling, so serious. Roxas, however, smiled as usual and leaned into the microphone on its stand before strumming on his guitar and waiting until the right moment to start singing.

_Sagasanakyane kimi no namida no furusato  
Hoho wo tsutatte ochita shizuku ga dokokara kitanoka wo_

_Dekakerundane soreja koko de miokuruyo  
Tsuiteiketara ureshiindakedo hitori de ikanakyane_

_Ryukku no naka ha karani shitakana arekore tsumetara omoidarou  
Sono nureta hoho ni hibiita kotoba soredakede ii  
Kikoetadarou_

_"Aini kitayo aini kitayo Kimi ni aini kitandayo  
Kimi no kokoro no uchigawa kara sotogawa no sekai made  
Boku wo shitte hoshikute kitandayo"_

_Mitsukenakyane kieta namida no ashiato  
Kare no aruita michi wo sakasamani tadoreba tsuku hazusa_

_Mitsumenakyane donna samishii sora demo  
Kare mo mitekita sora dato shireba hitorijanai hazusa_

_Nigetekita bundake kyoriga arunosa guchirunayo jigoujitoku darou  
Mokutekichiha yoku shitterubashosa wakaranainokai  
Joudandarou_

_"Aini kitayo Aini kitayo kiechau mae ni kitandayo  
Kimino namida no furusato kara toozakaru sekai made  
Kimi ni shittehoshikute kitandayo"_

_Touchaku dayo hora oboeterukana itsuka tsuita kizu ga arudarou  
Kimi no namida ga umare sodatta furusato ga arudarou_

_Atarashii shizuku ga koboretayo naoranai kizu wo nurashitayo  
Subeteha konotame Kono toki no tame  
Totemo nagai tabi wo koete_

_"Aini kitayo Aini kitayo Kiechau mae ni kitandayo  
Kesenai kokoro no uchigawa kara toozakaru sekaimade  
Chanto mite hoshikute"_

_"Aini kitayo Aini kitayo Kimini aini kitandayo  
Kimi no namida no furusato kara Kawakikitta sekaimade  
Bokuwo shittehoshikute Kimiwo shittehoshikute kitandayo"_

_Warawanaidene Oremo zutto matteruyo  
Wasurenaidene Kaerubasho ga aru kotowo_

The crowd roared in applause and Roxas grinned as he set the microphone back onto the stand. The teen gave a thumbs-up to his band mates who responded with a smile. 'That was great.' He mouthed. They waved to their fans and took a bow before finally heading back stage and were greeted by their friends.

"Sayuri-san," Juushiro addressed with a smile when he saw her. Naoto and Roxas cocked an eyebrow while staring at their senior. "Thanks for coming. So how'd you like it?"

Sayuri blushed and nodded slowly, while Miyuki and Nanako gave a thumbs-up sign. The student teachers congratulated them on a great concert. "You were great, Roxas!" Axel shouted as he ran into the room. Everyone was shocked by what the fiery redhead had referred to the teen that stood frozen across the room. I mean—Itsuki-kun," Axel corrected himself quietly. The girls gave a nervous glance, but Roxas remained stiff as he shook his head. "You really remind me of him, sorry there Itsuki-kun."

Roxas smiled sincerely. "Daijoubu! I've been called different names before, Roxas is a first but there's a first for everything. It's fine, Axel-sensei! But it's getting late so we should probably take the girls home, right Cloud-sensei?" The blonde smirked and nodded. "Well then, Naoto can escort Sayuri-san and Nanako-san while—" Roxas was cut off by Juushiro.

"Actually, Mamoru-kouhai, is it fine if I take Sayuri-san home?" Juushiro spoke up. Roxas looked to Sayuri who shyly nodded and walked over to the white haired teen's side. Juushiro looked down at Sayuri with a sweet smile, "Let's go?" It was the first time Roxas and Naoto had seen Sayuri smile so magnificently where she had the potential to be a model. The two males had seen it on their other friends' faces and of course, they had showed that smile on more than one occasion. "Ja." The older teen waved while departing with the smiling Sayuri.

Naoto turned to his sister and whispered, "They're going out aren't they?"

Nanako smirked and replied, "Took you boys long enough."

The pianist could only smile gently and turned to Miyuki, "I guess we'll be going now. See you tomorrow at the Christmas party. You too, Sensei. You should come to my house tomorrow night at 7, earlier if you want to help set up and cook." The student teachers nodded.

"We'll be there at 3:00 to help cook!" Tifa and Aerith decided at the same time before leaving with the others. Miyuki and Roxas waved to the Miyagi siblings and began to walk in the direction of their homes.

There was an uncomfortable silence. For Miyuki it was hard to imagine walking next to Roxas Hikari, instead of what she had known him until that evening, Itsuki Mamoru. She looked at him; his midnight hair was swept across his face, his hands shoved into his jean pockets, his posture absolutely flawless. A perfect person like him shouldn't exist, but she knew his appearance was the exact opposite of his life, ugly and terrible. "Hey Mamoru-kun, do you really want to leave?" She asked quietly.

Roxas hadn't noticed that Miyuki was behind him and turned to look at her. "If I don't, I'd be breaking my promise." He stated simply. No matter how simple it was, he couldn't look her in the eye and say it. He knew Miyuki had looked at him like an older brother. He was the person she would lean on when she cried, he was the one to go to for advice, he helped everyone with homework, and he was the one to greet you with a cold drink after summer school. "I can't break that promise."

"Please," She said softly, "Please break that promise. Only one!" Her voice cried out.

Roxas clenched his fists and shook his head. "Miyuki-san, you know I—" The conversation ended abruptly when Miyuki ran past him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Miyuki!" He shouted wheeling around to see that she had already fled down the street. "I'm sorry." He muttered in English. When he returned home that night, Roxas slammed his fist on his answering machine in frustration. His hand was red and began to throb. "Damn it."

A voice began to play from the machine then. "Hey Mamoru, it's Kairi Kamiya from Twilight Academy. I was just going to ask you to call me back so we can talk about the duet. Okay, thanks! Bye." Roxas smiled weakly at the sound of one of his friends' voice. He dialed the number listed on the machine and the phone began to ring.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Naminé sat on her bed reading a book Rikku had recommended her. All of her friends had gone on dates and the blonde began to feel the power of loneliness. Kairi had gone out on a date with Sora, Riku had finally given Selphie a chance and they were on a date, Hayner and Olette were on a date, Pence was currently setting up an up-coming photo exhibition and had no time to hang out with her, Yuffie and Rikku were busy studying for their exams, and the seniors were all gone. 

When the phone rang, Naminé jumped and rushed to recover to answer it. The voice on the phone, on the other hand, didn't sound like someone she especially wanted to talk to. "Hello? Kairi Kamiya?" Oh, it was for Kairi. That figured, Naminé thought. At least it wasn't her fiancé.

"Hello?" Naminé responded back.

"You wanted to talk to me about the duet?"

Naminé remembered how Kairi spoke to her about the _amazing_ vocalist that would be transferring soon and how they would sing a duet. "Oh, sorry. I'm actually Naminé, Kairi's roommate. I can take a message though." There was a pause between them before the male's voice cracked while he started speaking again.

"Y-yeah, sure. Sorry my head's kinda screwed up right now." The blonde nodded to herself; she couldn't really pay attention after Roxas left.

"What happened? I don't really know you, but I can promise I understand how hard it is to concentrate when you have a problem going on."

She heard him chuckle and could sense a slight tinge of happiness in his voice. "Well, I know you're name. Do you know mine?" He asked smartly.

"Musica." There was a slight pause of disbelief. "I'll name you Musica since you're really good at music. So, Musica, what's your problem?"

Musica was probably laughing right now, but covering the speaker. "Well," He started, "My friend Miyuki hates me for leaving. She understands, but doesn't want to believe it."

_Typical girl problem, _Naminé thought. A girl likes a guy, but he moves without considering the girl's feelings. "Are you sure she doesn't like you?"

She could hear Musica's melodious laugh on his end. It was amazing that a person could laugh so beautifully that it sounded like a harmony. "She hates it because she sees me as an older brother. Her real older brother and her never got along; when I first met her she was really cold to me. But…" He paused for a second. "That never stopped me from protecting her." Naminé knew Musica and Miyuki (whoever she was) were really close; he spoke so caringly about her. "It got her to relating me as an older brother. I'm the oldest out of my friends, so I try to watch out for them especially her. I'm leaving and she doesn't want me to, and I can understand that."

"Musica," Naminé began. The story seemed so much like hers aside from Miyuki and her older brother not getting along. Musica protected her, thus gaining her trust. He cared for her like a younger sibling and took the responsibilities of an older brother. She had hated the fact her own brother was going to college, but she never hated him. She just hated the fact no one would protect her like he had. Then Roxas came along and he protected her with a caring smile. "She just wants you to protect her. She doesn't want you to leave for whatever your reasons for leaving are. She just wants someone to be by her side."

Musica laughed lightly. "That's smart. She's my cute little sister. No matter what, I'll always be on her side." Even though they were miles apart, Naminé could feel his happiness radiating from his voice. She could almost see the smile he was wearing. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Naminé-san. Oyasuminasai."

"Oyasumi." Naminé replied before hanging up. She really hoped that Musica would be able to fix his problem. Right then Kairi entered the room with a chilled face but a bright expression of happiness. The blonde turned to her roommate with a glorious smile and greeted her. "Welcome back, Kairi. How was your date?"

-x-x-x-x-x-

Roxas hung up with a faint smile. Naminé was doing just fine. She was doing just fine without him. He was shocked to hear her reply in Japanese and he quietly whispered, "Oyasumi." Soon he fell into a deep slumber.

The next morning, Roxas took a quick jog in the park to help clear his head for the evening. His long bangs ran past his face while the wind blew behind him with the green scenery. Finally his running soon came to a stop and he clutched his side while breathing heavily. "Oh! Mamoru-kun!" Roxas lifted his head and spotted a tall man with bright blonde hair that was styled elegantly wearing a suit running towards him. "I was so worried about you!" The man had a worried expression on his unbelievably young face. He was holding onto Roxas for dear life and even daring to pull the teen's cheek.

"Oi!" Roxas jerked away and glared at him. "What are you doing here anyways, Kurosaki-sama?"

Nobuo Kurosaki grinned. "It's Tou-sama!!! But I'm actually vacationing here with my family. They find exotic things like this enjoyable. I was coming back from an optional business meeting when I saw you! Isn't that great?" He wrapped his arms around the teen and squeezed him tightly. Finally he let go and his grin turned into a small smile. "Has this place met your expectations?"

Then Roxas cracked a grin and responded, "Yeah, by far. Okaa-sama's home is really marvelous. Tokyo is my second home now. And my friends have become my family."

Nobuo was surprised to see Roxas speak so fondly of somewhere he was forced to live in. "I see. Well, I still haven't met your friends! I would really like to! Wait, what about those people, Roxas?" Roxas spun around and saw Naoto running towards him waving while Sayuri followed behind him. His blue eyes widened and he immediately tried to send them a signal to leave, but instead he got a larger wave and even a "Hey Mamoru!" from Naoto.

Finally they stood before him and his father. Roxas stood with a depressed expression, while his two friends were astounded that Nobuo Kurosaki was standing before them. Then the moment of truth, Sayuri asked how Nobuo knew 'Mamoru'. Nobuo put his arm around Roxas' shoulders and grinned. "Well, of course I would help my _son_ in his time of need!" Sayuri and Naoto stood there is silence for a moment before yelling, "EH?!" Roxas put his hand to his forehead and sighed.

Nobuo laughed lightly and pat his son's shoulders firmly. "Well, I'm Nobuo Kurosaki. Do you know about Mamoru?" Roxas nodded and Nobuo continued in English. "You must be his friends, pleased to meet you."

Naoto and Sayuri bowed. "Naoto Miyagi." Naoto struggled trying to say it without an accent. However Sayuri faired much better.

"I'm Sayuri Kitagawa. It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Kursoaki." She said with only a slight accent. English was her best subject and she did well enough to be put in a more advanced class with Roxas. Nobuo nodded approvingly. "Can you speak Japanese?"

Nobuo nodded. "I was just evaluating you. You seem to be a very head-strong girl, would you like to work for me when you graduate?"

"That's enough, Kurosaki-sama!" Roxas shouted. "Besides, shouldn't you be getting back to your _own_ family?" Nobuo was hurt momentarily, but would not let Roxas' friends see it. His son meant to say such hurtful words. Then Roxas turned to his friends with an apologetic smile. "Here are the keys, Naoto. Just go inside and wait there for me. Thanks." Naoto and Sayuri nodded without a word. They understood Roxas needed some time to speak with his father and left immediately.

Nobuo pouted when they left and wiped a fake tear from his eyes. "Roxas!!! I still wanted to talk to them!!!" When Roxas glared at him, he flinched. He looked directly into his blue orbs and saw only the same type of hurt when he had rejected the Kaede's idea of bringing Roxas back into their lives. "When you look at me like that, you remind me of Kaede." Nobuo told him.

"Yeah, I don't know how Okaa-sama put up with you. But whatever, just go home." Roxas scratched the back of his neck in boredom and turned to leave. "Thanks for the Christmas gift." He said before walking away.

"Wait! Roxas!" The teen stopped. "No matter what you think, Kazuhiro, Kuze, Kana, they are your siblings! They are your family. You still have a family with me. I am still your father. Do you really resent me so much?"

"Yeah. However," The dark-haired teen spun around with a gentle smile, "You've still protected me. And I am grateful to you." The man stood frozen at Roxas' smile, but more after his words. The teen spoke with sincerity but he also knew that Roxas would never forgive him. "But you know," Roxas stopped walking, "I don't need your pity, or the fact you're using me to repent for Okaa-sama's death. So, sayonara."

When he had reached his home, Roxas found his friends patiently waiting in the living room. "How old is Kurosaki-sama?" Sayuri asked Roxas when they were alone gathering cleaning supplies.

"Thirty-five. He's young for a CEO." Sayuri didn't ask any further than that. When they had first become friends, even as Mamoru, had told them about the rough relationship with his father and how he chose to live alone. She had admired him a lot because of his ability to smile no matter what. "Well c'mon, we have to start now or we won't finish in time!"

Afterwards, the cleaning went smoothly. Then they were joined by the student teachers to cook the food. "Thanks for the help everyone!"

In a few hours the party was in full swing and the Christmas tree had a large pile of gifts brought by all of the guests. "Merry Christmas!" Roxas and his friends greeted their guests. Miyuki was nowhere to be seen even after several hours of partying. Naoto looked over to Roxas and nodded silently. The guitarist slipped past a crowded group of guests dancing as he searched for Miyuki. Finally when he found her, he roughly grabbed her arm and brought her into an empty room despite her complaints.

"Miyuki! Why are you avoiding _Roxas_?" Naoto asked seriously, still not letting go of her arm.

The girl looked away and responded quietly, "He's leaving us. He's just gonna forget about us and never come back!" Naoto brought her into his chest and hugged her tightly. Miyuki couldn't hold back her tears and began to cry.

Naoto inhaled the scent of her hair and mumbled, "He won't forget us. He loves you like a sister. He's your _nii-san_, isn't he? And…" His voice trailed off but regained strength, "Even when he leaves, I will always be by your side and protect you, Miyuki." Miyuki looked up at Naoto like never before. She had always seen him as the slacker and playboy he acted like, flirting with every girl he saw, but now she noticed him like the true man he was. She saw his chiseled features, similar and yet different to Roxas', his loving gray eyes, and a caring smile that she'd always seen but never noticed 'till now.

He let go of her but continued to hold her hand. "C'mon, you _do_ want to make up with Roxas, right?"

Miyuki's smile lit up. "Of course!" Naoto let go off her hand so she could run off like he had expected, but instead Miyuki walked up slowly to the door and stopped in front of him. She tip-toed and placed a kiss on his lips, soft and warm. "Thank you, Naoto." She whispered into his ear softly before running off to look for Roxas. Naoto's face was burning hot and his lips still tingled with amazement.

The girl found Roxas circled by a group of people while he played Christmas songs on his piano. "Mamoru-kun!" She shouted. Roxas sharply turned his head in her direction and grinned brightly. She knew he couldn't just leave his crowd of admirers around and waited patiently for him to finish. However, Roxas had another thing up his sleeve. He began to play a different song that no one was familiar with, not even the former Twilight Academy music students. It almost seem to answer all of Miyuki's questions. It was a tinkling melody but a strong base harmony.

When he hit the last note everyone applauded and cleared the way for him. Miyuki gave him a warm hug after wards as an apology and Roxas only responded by lightly kissing her forehead affectionately and smiling brightly.

The next day when Roxas was going to leave for Twilight Town, all of the guests from his party saw him off. The four most important people he had met there stood in front of the pack with the same smiles Roxas had seen the year he had stayed in Tokyo. Nanako stood forward and gave Roxas a warm hug. "Stay out of trouble." He told her before turning to Sado who stood behind her. "Don't you ever dare hurt her either, Sado." Nanako punched Roxas in the shoulder for scaring her boyfriend before taking a step back.

"Sayuri-san, take care of yourself." He told her. Sayuri nodded with a smile and gave Roxas a tight hug. Roxas returned the smile and kissed her head lightly. He nodded towards Juushiro and shook hands with him. "Watch over her, Juushiro-senpai." The older teen nodded and protective wrapped his arm around Sayuri's waist. "Now, to say goodbye to the most troublesome couple I have ever met!" Roxas sighed playfully.

Naoto held up the peace sign and grinned widely. "I'll see you soon, Mamoru." Naoto hugged Roxas closely. "Will you visit?" He asked, pretending to let out tears. Roxas moved away slightly to wipe away the fake tear.

"Of course, Nao-kun! I would never forget about you!" He mumbled, bringing Naoto's body closer to his.

"Positive?"

"Positive!"

"Will you answer my calls?"

"Definitely, and if not I'll answer your e-mails." Roxas said, acting serious.

The other band mates and the girls sighed deeply. They knew they were acting like a gay couple on purpose. "Then will you give me a goodbye kiss?" Naoto asked, but that hit one of Miyuki's nerves and she forcefully pulled her boyfriend away by the ear. "I'll miss you, Mamoru. I hope you still play the piano; I mean, it was the only thing that you could express something without words." They gave each other a 'man' hug and a knuckle punch. All of the people behind them were already lost in a daze after Naoto and Roxas' display of affection.

"Miyuki," Roxas said opening his arms. Miyuki obediently fell into them and returned the hug. "I worry about you the most, so please take care of yourself. After all, you're my _imouto_." He whispered giving her one last squeeze before letting go. A tear slid down the girl's face, but Roxas quickly wiped it away with his thumb. "I'll be back as much as I can, guys. Thanks for everything. I really mean it." Roxas turned around and heard a wave of goodbyes wash over his ears.

Though four loud voices pierced through. "Mata ne, _Aniki_!" They shouted.

Roxas could feel his tears sliding down his cheeks and his smile widen as he walked to his gate.

* * *

**A/N: This is my longest chapter so far. This took forever since I have so much work! Please forgive me! But the conclusion should be in maybe two or three more chapters. Review please and HAPPY HOLIDAYS! To those who take exams, good luck!  
**

**Songs Used (Past and Currently):  
"Come Back to Me" - Plain White T's  
"Everything" - Michael Buble  
"Namida no Furusato" - BUMP OF CHICKEN  
Translation to "Namida no Furusato" thanks to Mognet . net for the translation:  
****  
I've got to search for the birthplace of your tears  
Where did the drop that fell down along your cheek come from?**

**I'm setting out, so that means from here, it's farwell  
I'd be happy if you followed me, but I've got to go it alone**

**I wonder, is the sky inside of my backpack? If I stuff in this and that, it will be pretty heavy  
The words that sounded out on those wet cheeks, that's good enough  
I could hear them**

**"I've come to see you, come to see you, I've come to see you  
From the inside of your heart, to the world outside  
I came because I want you to know me"**

**I've to find them, the tracks left behind by your vanished tears  
If I follow the road that he walked down, the wrong way, I should get there**

**I've got to gaze upon it, no matter how lonely the sky may be  
He came to look at it too; if you know the sky, then you should never be alone**

**That part of you that ran away is distance, so don't complain, you're just reaping what you sow  
Your destination is a place that you know well, don't you understand that?  
It's all a joke**

**"I've come to see you, come to see you, I've come before you disappear  
From the birthplace of your tears, to the far off world  
I've come because I want you to know"**

**We've arrived; hey, do you remember that day when your you got your wounds?  
Your tears were born and raised, so they must have a birthplace**

**A new drop has spilled, wetting your unhealed wounds  
Everything is for this, for this moment  
Passing through a very long journey**

**"I've come to see you, come to see you, I've come before you disappear  
From the uneraseable emptiness in your heart, to the far off world  
I want you to really take a look at them"**

**"I've come to see you, come to see you, I've come to see you  
From the birthplace of your tears, to the dried up world  
I came because I want you to know me, because I want you to know yourself"**

**Don't laugh, I'll always be waiting  
Don't forget, that there's a place for you to come home to**


	7. Piano Man

**Chapter 7: Piano Man**

Summary:_Roxas was an outcast. He made it that way, and he never complained about it. He hid his own secrets only so that one person could find it, his reason for playing, and his heart. Roxas X Namin_é

Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters. Hiro and Naoto are mine, though and so is the plot. **

A light haired man glanced at his watch as another train pulled into the station. When the doors opened and a blonde young woman exited the train, his eyes lit up as he called out, "Naminé! Over here!" The woman followed the familiar voice and searched with her light blue eyes among the crowd until saw her boyfriend waving at the entrance. She ran towards him, her luggage rolling and thumping behind her. The man embraced her into a tight hug; she dropped the handle of her belongings at her side and returned his hug warmly. He parted slightly to give her a light kiss on her forehead. "Sora, Kairi, and Riku wanted me to apologize for them since they're still stuck in Traverse Town for that blitzball game because of the snow. They really wanted to come greet you."

"I should call them to say it's fine! I mean, they didn't have to apologize. Selphie or the other seniors aren't worrying about it!"

Her boyfriend chuckled. "Well, Selphie is in Tokyo trying to find Yuffie's one mysterious author, remember? And the seniors are all too busy with their lives. Cloud and Leon are in a professional orchestra, Aerith and Tifa are acting in that new movie, Axel is an art teacher at a college and Yuffie's playing cello gigs and is the editor for that publishing company. It's hard to make time, but I bet they wish they were here." He told her, giving her another peck on the forehead before dangling his keys in front of her face. "C'mon, it's cold. Let's go to the car."

She followed him to his sleek black car nearly covered in snow. On the train she had made a fuss about him driving through snow to pick her up, but he persistently fought past her. "How was the visit to your brother? He's living in the main mansion now, right?" Her boyfriend asked when they were on the road.

Naminé nodded her head. "It was great, Hiro. My parents were there too, but we didn't have a party or anything. Everything felt so… peaceful." She said with a light expression on her face. When she met her boyfriend's gaze, she felt her heartbeat speed up. He smiled at her kindly and the look on his eyes was that of adoration. He had to change to earn the love that his older brother had received. 'Hikari scum' was a term he regretted using after spending his final year of high school at Twilight Academy with Naminé.

"I'm happy for you." He replied before taking a right turn on the icy path. "Hey," He paused for a second, "I have to go visit Rikku. Give her and her family my regards, do you mind?"

Of course the blonde shook her head. Her boyfriend was kind enough to pick her up from the station on a freezing winter day, there was no way she could refuse any of his requests especially if it was something so small and reasonable. "Of course not! I should too; my parents didn't go to her family's Christmas Ball this year." He chuckled and nodded appreciatively.

They continued to drive until they had reached a large pair of steel gates. Hiro drove up to reach the speaker and addressed his name. The gates opened up before them and they continued to drive through a vast garden to the stairs of a large mansion. Being the gentleman he was raised as, he got out of the car first and opened the door for Naminé. He continued to grin and held out his arm for her to take.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Oi! Roxas, you're still working on that story?" his best friend, Naoto, asked. The blonde CEO sat at his computer in his large home. Naoto owned one of the apartments across the street, both of their homes close to the college they attended. The younger man leaned forward and glanced through the words on the screen. He smiled, "Finished, huh?" Roxas spun around on his chair and met his friend's dark brown eyes.

He grinned back at him, "Yeah. Hey wanna grab a bite after I send this to Yuffie-san?" Naoto nodded, sitting on the black leather couch in the room while he waited. Roxas saved the file and attached it to the e-mail to his editor. For the title, he put 'my name is roxas' before clicking send. He stretched out his limbs before grabbing the coat on his chair and walking outside into the blizzard cold.

It was finally the day to celebrate his finished story. He'd started it the same day he left Tokyo and relocated to Destiny Islands. He'd made another branch there for the new Itsuki Group. Roxas kept the secret that he was also Mamoru Itsuki. Even though three of his other friends knew he was also Roxas Hikari, only Naoto was ever allowed to call him by his true name. 'Mamoru' was the only person here after he broke his promise to the girl he loved, to the person he owed everything to.

_Four years…_

It had been that long since he had last seen her. Though when he relocated to Destiny Islands, he was finally allowed to send some form of communication with her. He sent her letters. She sent him letters back. Miraculously, it continued until the spring of the third year. However, it was him who didn't reply and gave out. Nothing was wrong with the last letter she sent to him. It was perfect, but in his heart, he knew that he was the reason she was being tied down. Had he continued to stay silent, she might've found happiness with someone else sooner rather than clinging onto the hope that he would return eventually.

His return… would never happen. He was a college student now; the years of his high school memories were gone. He even found someone to replace that empty hole in his heart, even though it was never completely filled. He believed that if he ever tried to reunite with her, that one of them might cling on. Time would never allow that. He avoided business as much as possible; he ran it behind his computer and pseudonym, letting Naoto, Miyuki, Nanako, or Sayuri attend any functions in his place.

He longed to see her. True.

He wanted to embrace her. True.

He'd do anything to go back in time. True.

He couldn't let go. True. Or False?

He only ever wanted her happiness. True. True. True.

The large cling made from the two students' beers woke him up from his daze. Naoto was already drunk and the additional beer made no difference. Roxas smiled slightly as he held his beer to his lips. He'd went partying with his friend many times even accompanied by Miyuki, Naoto's girlfriend. He'd tasted different kinds of alcohol and each time they left a bitter taste in his mouth.

He was always surrounded by people who loved him.

Naoto, Miyuki, Sayuri, and Nanako were always there for him and then their family was always there for him.

In the orphanage: Kouichi, Itsuki-san, and Naminé.

In his childhood: Sora, Yuffie, Kairi, Hayner, Pence, Olette, Riku, and Selphie.

In Twilight Academy: Sora, Yuffie, Kairi, Hayner, Pence, Olette, Riku, Selphie, and the seniors.

Even though he was at the proper age to drink, he'd always felt this disappointment that he'd fallen victim to alcohol. To think he resorted to a drug instead of those who were always standing right next to him, supporting his every action.

Naoto was a different story, but he knew Roxas forced himself. Naoto knew that Roxas wanted the people who loved him to hate him, because he already let them down. "H-hey Roxasss, let'sssjussstt go nowww…" Naoto slurred. The music major looked up to see his best friend's blue eyes, shimmering with amusement as he nodded. Once he dropped off Naoto, his body led him to his grand piano.

He began to play Beethoven's Symphony No. 3. He smiled as he played.

It was not the best song in the slightest.

But it was the same song that caught her into his current.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Naminé hugged Rikku and greeted her a 'merry Christmas'. "Did you get a letter?" The younger woman shook her head. Rikku yelled out in frustration. "That stupid idiot!" She shouted. Rikku began to pace the room yelling out different reason why her former lover was the worst. Naminé smiled at her friend's concern for her when suddenly… she heard music. It came from behind her, yet she knew Rikku couldn't hear it.

Her body yearned to turn around and look back, but instead she giggled at Rikku's antics even throwing in one or two insults into the 'Roxas Pot'. At the end of the night, after her boyfriend dropped her off, she stood at the balcony the music gone from her ears. In the cold, snowing night, she whispered something softly.

-x-x-x-x-x-

If someone were listening to his music, they would've heard an abrupt pause. The pause seemed light, almost dream-like. When the music started again, it was better than before. As he continued playing he remembered their reunion.

_Naminé smiled back shyly. "This isn't the art room, is it?" _

_He laughed. "You're right."_

"You're right, Naminé." He said into the brisk winter air when he had opened the window. The song was over; the current had washed away into the sea. He continued to smile brightly even after he had stopped. Then out of nowhere, he began to laugh.

_"You never stopped playing, did you Roxas?"_

He could hear her, despite the fact that his heart now rung with the many voices of those he loved. She had played the melody in his heart. Now everyone could hear his music. Then the weight on his chest disappeared with the sound of just her soft whisper.

"Thank you, Naminé. Thank you for listening."

Somewhere in his heart, he heard the cheerful giggle of the blonde girl that was once shattered.

Somewhere in her heart, she saw the smile of the teen once weighed down by the world.

And it all started with just the sound of a piano.

* * *

**This was probably not the ending you expected. Honestly, I didn't expect to write an ending like this either. I wanted it to feel empty though, because Roxas feels an emptiness; Naminé was a huge part of his life, but time can pull the best couple apart sometimes. It's not just time either. You need to be able to see whether or not you're holding on is hurting the other person and when to let go. But no one is forgotten, there's always something pulling all of us together like an invisible thread or a net that leads to one another and gets our lives tangled together. **

**I guess I left a few loose ends. Ah well... And I might make a spin-off on this later; it'll be about Roxas' story, the one he sent to Yuffie, and the life of him and Namine during those three years. Maybe then I can truly finish this story!  
**

_**THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY REVIEWERS, FANS, AND EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED THIS FIC! **_

**I'm sorry it might've not turned out how you expected, but I hope you liked the fic overall. I worked hard on it. **

**Bye for now everyone! Maybe I'll work on all of my other stories**

**- Byousoku Isshun (Filipinostudent)  
**


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